04/01 2021 Astros open the season with an 8-1 drubbing of Oakland. Zack Greinke tosses six shutout innings. Michael Brantley smacks three hits, including a double and home run while Yordan Alvarez drives in three. Houston has a 9-0 record in Opening Days since they were switched to the American League. 04/01 2003 Former N.L. MVP Jeff Kent homers in his first at bat as a Houston Astro, leading a 10-4 mauling of the Rockies. Jeff Bagwell tops that with two home runs while Geoff Blum goes deep and drives in three. Roy Oswalt survives a shaky start for the victory.

. 04/01 1997 Many considered Drayton McLane a fool for hiring broadcaster Larry Dierker as his manager, replacing Terry Collins. Dierker had never managed on any level. Dierker's debut comes on April Fool's Day, getting the last laugh on the Atlanta Braves, the defending league champs. Pat Listach drives in Brad Ausmus with a sacrifice fly in the third inning. Shane Reynolds and Billy Wagner make it stand up for a 2-1 victory. 04/01 1981 Astros deal pitcher Ken Forsch to the Angels for shortstop Dickie Thon. The versatile righthander compiled a 78-81 record for Houston, with 50 saves, nine shutouts, a 3.18 ERA and one memorable no-hitter. 04/01 1968 Pitcher Bo Belinsky is sold to the Chicago White Sox. Having already left spring training to get engaged to former Playmate of the Year Jo Collins, Belinsky refuses a minor-league assignment in Oklahoma City preferring Honolulu where the Sox have their AAA affiliate. 04/02 2003 Craig Biggio singles home the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the ninth, completing a five-run rally that stuns Colorado, 8-7. Four straight singles and a double by Orlando Merced set the stage for Biggio's heroics. Billy Wagner is the surprise winner. 04/02 1997 Houston bunches six hits off Greg Maddux in the third inning and holds on for a 4-3 victory. Derek Bell's two-run double is the key blow. Mike Hampton picks up the win against Atlanta. 04/02 1993 Nolan Ryan pitches in the Dome for the last time, a 4-3 exhibition loss for his Texas Rangers. A packed house of over 53,000 cheer the 46-year-old Alvin legend. Luis Gonzalez' three hits help to stake Pete Harnisch to a 4-0 lead over the future Hall-Of-Famer, who struck out only one batter in six innings. 04/02 1971 Dome fans are treated to a 15-inning exhibition "tripleheader" between the Astros, Yankees and Twins. Houston nips New York, 2-1, in the first five-inning game and later tops Minnesota, 5-3, in the finale. In between, the Twins down the Yankees, 4-1. 04/02 1963 Colt .45s trade outfielder Manny Mota to Pittsburgh for outfielder Howie Goss, who lasts one season. Mota torments Houston pitchers for the next twenty years. 04/03 2001 Craig Biggio returns from knee surgery in style with the first five-hit game of his career during an 11-3 Opening Day win against Milwaukee, scoring three times. Daryle Ward and Chris Truby belt homers. 04/03 1998 It's not in Colorado, but the Astros club the Rockies as if it was, 15-2. Derek Bell, now hitting in front of Jeff Bagwell in the lineup, drives in six and keys a seven-run uprising to put the game away. 04/03 1977 An exhibition game with the Texas Rangers in Tulsa, OK, is halted when a part of the stand collapses, injuring 17 people. Players helped carry victims to aid, some making stretchers out of wooden planks. 04/03 1970 Doug Rader becomes the first to reach the Dome's gold (upper reserved) seats with a home run off Stan Bahnsen during a 9-5 exhibition win against the Yankees. The ball lands in section 738D, row 6, seat 1. 04/03 1969 The Rusty Staub trade with Montreal is finally settled when the Astros accept pitchers Skip Guinn and Jack Billingham, along with $100,000, instead of first baseman Donn Clendenon. Jesus Alou was to accompany Clendenon to Houston and he remains part of the deal. 04/04 2003 Brad Ausmus slugs a grand slam homer in the first inning and a solo shot in the 12th to carry the Astros over St. Louis, 6-5. Ausmus also guns down three runners, including Fernando Vina at third base for the game's final out. Brad Lidge gets his first major league save. 04/04 1994 Mitch Williams walks the bases full then surrenders two 12th-inning runs in the season opener against Montreal. Ken Caminiti's two-run double ends a dramatic three-run comeback for a 6-5 Houston triumph.

. The Astros also debut their new navy-and-gold uniforms with the leaning star logo. 04/04 1982 J.R. Richard tosses one inning in an exhibition game against Toronto. It would be his last appearance as an Astro after suffering a stroke in 1980. Richard gives up no runs and no hits but walks the bases full in the 3-2 victory. 04/04 1977 Houston bombs the Rangers in a 16-6 exhibition win in Oklahoma City. Willie Crawford drives in five runs but the moment nobody forgets is when Bob Watson doubles into a double play. Texas catcher Bill Fahey tags out both Enos Cabell and Jose Cruz at the plate. 04/04 1966 A tornado rips through the Astros' spring training home in Cocoa, FL. Three light towers are toppled, one crashing into the grandstand. The scoreboard has vanished. The batting cages are ruined. That day's exhibition game with Kansas City is cancelled. 04/05 2017 Down a run in the bottom of the 13th, George Springer swats a walk-off three-run homer to stun the Mariners, 5-3. Springer earlier plated the other two Houston tallies with a two-run double to give him all five RBIs on the night. 04/05 2006 Craig Biggio adds to his illustrious credentials in a 6-5 triumph over the Marlins. His first-inning double gives him 606 in his career to become tenth all-time in that category. Later, he scores his 1700th run, 24th all-time in that department. He is two hits shy of the 2800 plateau. Lance Berkman and Preston Wilson supply the muscle with two-run homers to support Wandy Rodriguez. 04/05 1998 Astros greet Darryl Kile with five runs in the second inning, on their way to a 6-2 win over Colorado. Houston fans boo Kile who left the Astros as a free agent over the winter. Shane Reynolds' three-run double and Craig Biggio's two-run homer do the damage. 04/05 1988 Kevin Bass' two-run single keys a five-run eighth-inning rally to grab a 6-3 Opening Day win against San Diego. Mike Scott takes the win even though he surrendered two runs in the top half of the frame. 04/05 1976 The Astros host an exhibition game at the Louisiana Superdome, a 12-5 win over Minnesota, before just over 10,000 fans. Cliff Johnson stars with three hits, including a homer. Not built for baseball, New Orleans' new dome creates a few problems such as a concrete warning track and football sidelines down the third base line. Hitters complain about poor visibility, causing an auxilliary scoreboard to be shut off. 04/06 1999 The Astros begin their final campaign in the Astrodome by defeating the Cubs, 4-2. Shane Reynolds is the Opening Day winner. Carl Everett and Richard Hidalgo bash solo home runs. 04/06 1987 Jose Cruz homers off the Dodgers' Orel Hershiser to lead the defending N.L. West champion Astros to a 4-3 season-opening triumph. Alan Ashby contributes a two-run single. Dave Smith pitches the last two innings to seal the win for Mike Scott. 04/06 1978 The traditional Opening Day in Cincinnati is an 11-9 loss to the Reds. Terry Puhl begins the season with a leadoff homer against Tom Seaver and is later joined by Cesar Cedeno and Joe Ferguson in the longball department. Ferguson also starts a triple play when he catches strike three from Joe Sambito, throws out George Foster stealing second then watches Joe Morgan get caught in a rundown between third and home. 04/06 1975 For $35,000, the Astros purchase Joe Niekro from the Braves. Niekro would win 144 games for Houston and become the club's first two-time 20-win pitcher. 04/06 1973 Cesar Cedeno doubles home Tommy Helms with the winning run in the 13th for a 2-1 Opening Day triumph in Atlanta. It was Cedeno's third extra-base hit of the game. Jim Wynn's homer tied it in the sixth. 04/07 2004 What retirement? 41-year-old Roger Clemens makes his debut as an Astro a memorable one, blanking the Giants on one hit over seven innings to earn his 311th career victory, a 10-1 blowout. Homers by Richard Hidalgo, Jeff Bagwell and Jeff Kent support The Rocket who fans nine, including slugger Barry Bonds twice. Clemens also singles in his first at-bat as a National Leaguer. 04/07 2000 Enron Field's first regular-season opener goes much the same way as the Astrodome - a 4-1 loss to Philadelphia. Craig Biggio leads off the season with a single but it isn't until Richard Hidalgo homers in the seventh that the sellout crowd has more to cheer. For trivia buffs, Randy Wolf gets to howl as Enron's first winning pitcher much like Chris Short 35 years before. 04/07 1979

Ken Forsch fires a no-hitter, blanking Atlanta, 6-0

. Bedridden two days before the gem, Forsch needs just 106 pitches, striking out three and walking two. Forsch has a tension-free ninth inning getting Rowland Office, Jerry Royster and Glenn Hubbard on routine grounders. He and his brother Bob become the first brothers to pitch no-hitters. 04/07 1975 Setting the baseball fashion world on its ear, the Astros introduce the rainbow uniform to major league baseball, humbling the Braves in a 6-2 season opener. Jose Cruz homers in his first game as an Astro. 04/07 1970 Pitcher Larry Dierker orders pinch-hitter Norm Miller to belt a homer as he's leaving the game. Miller delivers with a three-run shot off Gaylord Perry to key an 8-5 Opening Day win at San Francisco. Dierker picks up the victory while Fred Gladding earns the save. 04/08 2005 Roger Clemens wins for the 329th time in his career - tying Steve Carlton for ninth on the all-time list - using his bat as well as his arm. Clemens' infield hit in the sixth scores two for a 3-2 squeaker over the Reds. Luke Scott and Willy Taveras, two rookies making the jump from AA ball, score runs with Scott pounding a triple for his first major league hit - just 16 behind Clemens on the all-time hit list. 04/08 2002 Craig Biggio becomes the fourth player in franchise history to hit for the cycle in an 8-4 triumph in Colorado. After reaching with a single and a triple his first two times up, Biggio homers off Denny Neagle for two runs then doubles in the eighth off Mike James for two more. Richard Hidalgo and Lance Berkman also go deep. 04/08 1988 Glenn Davis drills a two-run shot with two outs in the ninth to tie Cincinnati then Houston explodes for five runs in the 16th to take an 8-3 victory.

Winning pitcher Larry Andersen starts the final rally with a single off Jose Rijo then scores on a two-run single by Billy Hatcher. 04/08 1984 Shortstop Dickie Thon is beaned by Mike Torrez in a 3-1 loss to the Mets. The fastball broke a bone near Thon's left eye which caused bruising and a huge shiner. He would be out the entire season and battled vision problems the rest of his career. 04/08 1964 Colts reliever Jim Umbricht dies at the age of 33 from melanoma cancer. He was the only pitcher with a winning record in both of Houston's first two seasons, overcoming major surgery during the 1963 campaign - or so it seemed. 04/09 1999 On the Astrodome's final anniversary, Tim Bogar drives home Richard Hidalgo with the winning run as Houston nips Milwaukee, 3-2. Starter Sean Bergman adds a solo homer but Scott Elarton takes the win in relief. 04/09 1990 On the Dome's 25th Anniversary, Houston fails to hold an early lead and drops an 8-4 decision to Cincinnati. Glenn Davis is hit-by-pitch three times, tying a major-league record. 04/09 1985 On the Dome's 20th Anniversary, Nolan Ryan leads a 2-1 victory over Los Angeles, surviving a first-inning kiss from Morganna who also smooches Dickie Thon before the police arrest her.

04/09 1975 On the Dome's 10th Anniversary, Houston drills the Braves with six runs in the fourth and eight more in the seventh for a 14-2 massacre. Doug Rader, Roger Metzger and Enos Cabell lead the assault with three hits apiece. 04/09 1965

Houston's "Eighth Wonder Of The World" opens its doors for the first indoor baseball game, an exhibition against the New York Yankees. Dick Farrell tosses the first pitch

. Ron Brand triples for Houston's first hit. The legendary Mickey Mantle homers to center field for the game's first run but the newly-named Astros prevail, 2-1 in twelve innings, on a single by player-coach Nellie Fox

. 04/10 2003 Craig Biggio sets a league record with his 31st leadoff homer, sparking the Astros to a 4-2 triumph over Cincinnati. He eclipses the mark of Bobby Bonds. Jeriome Robertson picks up his first major league win, allowing just two hits and fanning eight over seven innings. 04/10 1979 J.R. Richard ties a major-league record by throwing six wild pitches in a game against Los Angeles, but he also strikes out 13 in a 2-1 victory. Cesar Cedeno, Jose Cruz and Enos Cabell tag consecutive doubles off Burt Hooton in the fourth for the Houston runs. 04/10 1971 Chicago great Ferguson Jenkins is sailing along with a four-hit shutout and a 1-0 lead through eight innings when the Astros win without hitting a ball past the infield. Cesar Cedeno's scratch hit starts it off. Two walks later, Cedeno bluffs a break for the plate which causes Jenkins to balk home the tying run. Jenkins then misplays Roger Metzger's botched squeeze bunt for an error as Cesar Geronimo scores the game-winner. 04/10 1968 Houston wins the season opener over Pittsburgh, 5-4. The season was delayed due to the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr. The Astros score three in the bottom of the ninth as a rare error by Bill Mazeroski on a foul pop proves critical. 04/10 1962

Major League Baseball officially starts in Houston as the Colt .45s make a big hit in their 11-2 Opening Day win against the Chicago Cubs. Bobby Shantz gets the victory, striking out Lou Brock as the first batter. Roman Mejias belts two home runs and drives in six for the Colts. Hal Smith also homers. In all, quite a 50th birthday gift for team owner Judge Roy Hofheinz. 04/11 1999 Craig Biggio scores his 1000th career run against Milwaukee in a 5-2 victory. Biggio has two hits on the day, including a double. Shane Reynolds captures the victory. 04/11 1981 Don Sutton, signed as a free agent from Los Angeles over the winter, makes his Astro debut against the Dodgers, and surrenders six runs in a 7-4 loss. 04/11 1980 Craig Reynolds, homerless the year before, blasts a leadoff homer against Don Stanhouse to spark a five-run eighth-inning rally that topples Los Angeles, 10-6. Dave Smith wins in his first big league appearance. 04/11 1967 Eddie Mathews beats his old Atlanta teammates in a 6-1 Opening Day victory. The Braves had traded their aging star to Houston that winter and he responds with two hits including a triple off Dick Kelley to key a six-run sixth inning. Mike Cuellar picks up the win. 04/11 1962 Hal Woodeshick and Dick Farrell combine for Houston's first shutout, 2-0 over the Cubs.

Hal Smith's first-inning single plated the game's only runs.

This game also featured the franchise's first rain delay - one hour and seven minutes. 04/12 2019 Jose Altuve and Yuli Gurriel blast grand slams in the same game as part of a 10-6 comeback victory in Seattle. Altuve's shot was his fifth homer in four games. He would add another in a 3-1 triumph the next day to make five games in a row. 04/12 2017 Perhaps the first sign that this would be a special season, the Astros bounced back from a 5-0 deficit to drown the Mariners, 10-5. Seven batters had extra-hit games, including Jose Altuve with three and Carlos Beltran driving in three. Brad Peacock took his second win in relief. 04/12 1980 In his first game as an Astro, Nolan Ryan hits the first home run of his career, a three-run shot off Don Sutton. But the lead doesn't hold and Los Angeles eventually wins in 17 innings, 6-5. 04/12 1970

Astros blast five home runs to trounce Phil Niekro and the Braves, 8-3

. Jim Wynn has the most memorable shot, a rocket that doesn't come to rest until it finds the gold (upper reserved) seats in the third inning (section 738C, row 6, seat 3)

. That bested his blast into the purple seats in the first. Tommy Davis, Joe Pepitone and Doug Rader go yard as well, making an easy night for starter Larry Dierker. 04/12 1962 Dean Stone tosses the first complete-game shutout in franchise history, blanking the Cubs, 3-0

. It's a three-hit effort and caps a series sweep in their inaugural homestand. At 3-0, they are tied with the Giants atop the National League standings. 04/13 2007

Roy Oswalt gets his 100th victory in an un-Oswalt-like way. He walks six and allows six runs but Carlos Lee's three homers

and a three-run blast by Morgan Ensberg

pace a 9-6 victory at Philadelphia. Lee belts a grand slam

as well as two solo shots while Craig Biggio takes over eighth place on the All-Time doubles list with 641, passing Honus Wagner. 04/13 1993 Houston erupts for seven runs in the eighth to master the Expos, 9-6. Eddie Taubensee's two-run homer is the big blow in the uprising. 04/13 1989 Glenn Davis ties the Dodgers with an eighth-inning blast then an error by Eddie Murray in the 15th keys a 4-2 victory. Bob Forsch tosses shutout ball over the last four innings for the win. 04/13 1971 Astros rally for five runs in the ninth to stun the Cardinals, 8-4. Joe Morgan's bases-loaded single precedes a three-run bomb by Norm Miller. Bob Watson also homers. 04/13 1964 Colt .45s win the league's season opener in Cincinnati, defeating the Reds, 6-3. It is the only time in their three-year history that the Colts have sole possession of first place. President Lyndon Johnson watches while Ken Johnson, still grieving over the death of roommate Jim Umbricht, hurls a two-hit shutout before tiring in the ninth. Jim Wynn, who grew up in Cincinnati, belts a two-run shot in the victory. 04/14 2001 Chris Truby slams two home runs to pace a 7-4 win in St. Louis. Scott Elarton survives three solo homers to pick up the victory. 04/14 1988 Glenn Davis drives in five, including three on his fifth home run of the young season, to slam the Reds, 9-3.

It makes for an unhappy 47th birthday for Cincinnati skipper Pete Rose. 04/14 1985 In a battle between the major-league's top two strikeout artists of all time, Nolan Ryan defeats Steve Carlton and the Phillies, 5-3. Ryan increases his career strikeout lead over Carlton to ten (3,887 to 3,877). Jose Cruz supports with three hits. 04/14 1965 Houston gets their first regulation win as the Astros, an eleven-inning 7-6 triumph over the Mets. Al Spangler stole home for the eventual winning run. Ron Brand has a two-run bunt single that refused to roll foul. 04/14 1963 Colts score four times against Sandy Koufax in the sixth to emerge with a 5-4 victory over the Dodgers. Howie Goss drives in two runs. Carroll Hardy and Hal Smith also generate RBI singles. 04/15 2004 Despite a 6-2 loss to Milwaukee, reliever Brandon Backe becomes the third pitcher in franchise history to strike out the side on nine pitches. He whiffs Bill Hall, Scott Podsednik and Craig Counsell in order after having fanned Chad Moeller to end the previous frame. Craig Biggio swats the 35th leadoff homer of his career, an NL record. 04/15 1991

Jeff Bagwell's first major league homer is a two-run shot off Kent Mercker in the ninth inning to stun the Braves, 3-1. Back then, nobody thought Bagwell would develop into the franchise's premier power hitter.

04/15 1987 Mike Scott delivers a one-hit, ten-strikeout shutout in Los Angeles, 4-0. A single by Mariano Duncan in the third is the lone blemish. Billy Hatcher and Glenn Davis pace the offense. Each had a home run and two RBIs. 04/15 1970 John Mayberry slugs two home runs, drives in four and scores three times in a ten-inning, 7-6 victory over San Francisco

. Jim Beauchamp singles Mayberry home with the winning run. 04/15 1968

The longest shutout in major league history is played at the Astrodome before a crowd that sits through over six hours of baseball before a run scores. Houston outlasts the Mets, 1-0, as Al Weis lets Bob Aspromonte's roller through his legs in the 24th inning allowing Norm Miller to cross home plate

. Catchers Hal King and Jerry Grote play the entire contest. 04/16 2002 Lance Berkman drills three home runs to lead an 8-3 triumph in Cincinnati. Berkman plates five. Richard Hidalgo and Jeff Bagwell also tee off on losing pitcher Jose Acevedo. Berkman gets two chances to tie the NL mark of four homers but comes up short. 04/16 1998 Houston swipes six bases during a 7-4 win over the Reds. Mike Hampton, who had one of the thefts, also picks up his third victory of the season. 04/16 1991 Ken Caminiti starts an around-the-horn triple play during a 10-4 loss to the Braves. In the second-inning, Mike Heath's grounder goes from Caminiti to Casey Candaele at second to Jeff Bagwell at first for the feat. 04/16 1985 Astros touch Steve Howe, Tom Niedenfuer and Ken Howell for six runs in the ninth to shock the Dodgers, 7-3. Kevin Bass' double starts the rally which makes a winner of Dave Smith. The key play occurs when Howell misfires on Bill Doran's suicide squeeze bunt, allowing two Astros to score. 04/16 1964 Texas Governor John Connally tosses out the first pitch for the Colts' home opener, a 6-5 loss to the Milwaukee Braves.

Connally tosses lefthanded because his right arm is still healing from gunshot wounds suffered in the assassination of John F. Kennedy. 04/17 1983 Nolan Ryan fans seven Expos to pass 3,500 strikeouts for his career. He beats Montreal, 6-3, for his first win of the season. Ray Knight adds two hits, including a home run. 04/17 1980 Astros get more steals than hits in a 6-4 loss to the Dodgers. Joe Morgan has three of the seven swipes while Houston manages just six hits. Utilityman Derrel Thomas is the Dodger catcher, explaining the larceny in Astro hearts. 04/17 1976 Ken Forsch has to save the Astros twice. Leading San Diego, 5-4 in the ninth, and the tying runner aboard, Forsch gets Ted Kubiak to ground to second for an apparent finish but catcher Cliff Johnson is ruled for interference. Kubiak is awarded first and Forsch must retire Merv Rettenmund, which he does on a fly to Greg Gross in right to seal the victory. 04/17 1963 Backup catcher Jim Campbell homers in the 13th for a 2-1 triumph over the Giants. The Colts' other run comes when Howie Goss, Carroll Hardy and Bob Aspromonte successfully execute a triple steal. 04/17 1962 Don Buddin's three-run blast in the 11th inning gives Houston their first road win in franchise history, a 5-2 victory over the Mets at the Polo Grounds. Norm Larker hit a two-run shot to account for the earlier runs. 04/18 2006 It took 44 years for Houston to reach the World Series; it takes 44 years for the Astros to return to the .500 mark as a franchise, standing 3,507-3,507 overall and 10-4 on the season with a 13-12 slugfest over Milwaukee. Adam Everett drives in four while Morgan Ensberg belts two homers to lead the attack. Brad Lidge gets the save after the Brewers rallied from an 11-2 deficit. Preston Wilson fans twice to reach seven consecutive strikeouts before grounding out and singling twice. 04/18 1998 Sean Berry tags Miguel Batista for a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth for a 4-3 triumph against Montreal. Craig Biggio scores his 891st career run, breaking Cesar Cedeno's franchise record. 04/18 1992 Jeff Bagwell slams a two-run tenth-inning shot off Randy Myers to claim a 4-2 win over San Diego. Craig Biggio has four hits. 04/18 1972 After the infamous eight-player trade that sent Joe Morgan to Cincinnati, Houston wins the first head-to-head matchup with the Reds, 8-4. Tommy Helms, part of the deal, homers off Don Gullett to spark the attack. 04/18 1966 The first major league game on artificial turf is played in the Astrodome. Two future Hall-of-Famers face off. 21-year-old rookie Don Sutton stymies Robin Roberts and the Astros for a 6-3 Dodger win, the first of his career. The infield was carpeted with the Monsanto product Judge Roy Hofheinz dubbed "Astroturf". The outfield and foul grounds were still dirt but had the zippered sod installed after the homestand. 04/19 1996 Houston batters Cincinnati, 13-5, on 18 hits. Sean Berry has three hits and five RBIs. Derek Bell has four hits while four other Astros enjoy multi-hit evenings. 04/19 1983 Pinch-hitter Harry Spilman drills a three-run ninth-inning homer off Tom Hume to stun Cincinnati, 6-5.

Shortstop Dickie Thon has four hits, including a home run. Bill Dawley earns his second win in relief. The Astros' day does not start well as catcher John Mizerock suffers three passed balls in the first inning while the Reds jump on Joe Niekro for four runs. 04/19 1980 J.R. Richard one-hits Los Angeles in a 12-strikeout performance, his 13th straight win over the Dodgers. The only hit allowed is an infield single by Reggie Smith in the fourth inning. 04/19 1970 Tom Griffin tosses a one-hitter in a 5-1 victory over the Padres. A double by Cito Gaston in the seventh is the lone safety although Jim Wynn robbed Gaston of a similar hit earlier

. Houston also pulls off a triple steal when John Mayberry, Doug Rader and Johnny Edwards run on a failed squeeze play. 04/19 1964 Bob Bruce ties a major-league record by striking out the side on nine pitches in the eighth inning against the Cardinals. It happens in a 6-1 loss to Bob Gibson. Bruce fans Bill White, Charley Jones and Ken Boyer in perfect order. The next inning, after a leadoff single, Bruce KOs Tim McCarver, Julian Javier and Gibson for good measure. 04/20 2005 Back-to-back homers by Adam Everett and Craig Biggio in the first pace the Astros over Ben Sheets and the Brewers, 6-1. Biggio drives in himself for the 1,000th RBI of his career, the second Astro to achieve that many in a Houston uniform. Later, he swipes third for his 399th career steal. Roy Oswalt tosses a complete-game four-hitter while Everett enjoys a three-hit night. 04/20 1997 Craig Biggio blasts two homers to topple Los Angeles, 3-1, at Dodger Stadium. His solo shot off Ismael Valdes stakes the Astros to an early lead but Raul Mondesi ties the game with a blast off Chris Holt. After Tim Bogar doubles, Biggio takes Tom Candiotti deep in the eighth for the game-winner. 04/20 1994 A leadoff homer by Craig Biggio blossoms into a four-hit night as Houston trips the Cubs, 7-5. Jeff Bagwell drives in four runs. Tom Edens picks up the win in relief. 04/20 1985 Joe Niekro and Frank DiPino combine on a two-hitter for an 8-1 victory over Atlanta. Jose Cruz drives in four while Brave-killer Craig Reynolds has two hits, including a homer. 04/20 1964 Nellie Fox drives in four runs with a two-run single and a two-run triple to pace a 7-1 win over St. Louis. Dick Farrell tosses a four-hitter. 04/21 2015 A two-run double by Jose Altuve keys a five-run eighth and a 6-3 victory over the Mariners. The 8-6 Astros lead the AL West and have won four straight. Collin McHugh claims his third victory of the season. 04/21 1999 Jeff Bagwell bashes three home runs at Wrigley Field and drives in six to drop the Cubs, 10-3. Bagwell passes Jim Wynn's mark for the most homers in franchise history. 04/21 1996 For the third time that season, Todd Jones blows the save and gets the win. Each time, Derek Bell is his savior. Bell's three-run homer in the eighth rescues a 7-5 victory over Cincinnati. Brian Hunter chips in with three hits. Jones has a rather undeserving 3-0 record. 04/21 1987 Red-hot Billy Hatcher marks his ninth consecutive multi-hit game and 11th in the 14 games he's played.. His 28th hit of the season (a .475 average) keys a four-run ninth-inning comeback that shocks Atlanta, 7-6. His hitting streak would end at 16 games. 04/21 1978 A Hollywood ending helps Houston subdue the Dodgers, 8-6. With two on against Ken Forsch in the bottom of the ninth, Ron Cey lines to Bob Watson who steps on first to double off Reggie Smith. Watson spins and throws to Roger Metzger at second who beats Bill Russell to the bag to complete the game-ending triple play. Joe Ferguson's three-run homer in the eighth had given the Astros their lead. 04/22 2006 Taylor Buchholz gets his first big league win, blanking the Pirates, 3-0. Buchholz has a one-hitter with one out to go before an error and a single causes Manager Phil Garner to bring Brad Lidge in to get the final out. Craig Biggio scores all three runs using a single, a double and a homer. The Astros' all-time franchise record climbs above .500 for the first time since early 1962. 04/22 1986 Alan Ashby homers off Atlanta's Duane Ward in the ninth for a 3-2 triumph.

Charley Kerfeld, wearing his lucky Jetsons tee-shirt under his jersey, is the winning pitcher. 04/22 1980 Nolan Ryan 's first win as an Astro comes in an 8-0 victory over Cincinnati. It's the initial dividend from baseball's first million-dollar-per-year contract. Ryan fans seven and walks six in seven innings. Jose Cruz is the star with three hits and five RBIs, including a bases-loaded triple in the first inning. 04/22 1974 Cesar Cedeno drills two homers and drives in five to pace Houston past Atlanta, 7-0

. Claude Osteen, who was dealt by the Dodgers over the winter, scatters seven hits. 04/22 1966 Dave Giusti surrenders eight hits but walks away with a 2-0 shutout against the Giants. Giusti delivers three hits of his own but solo homers by Joe Morgan and Jim Gentile provide all the scoring. 04/23 2021 Down 4-2 in the 10th, Houston rallies for a 5-4 walk-off win over Anaheim. It's the backups who get it done with an infield hit, a ground rule double and a sacrifice fly before Robel Garcia bloops the game-winner into short center field. Garcia had been claimed off waivers from the Angels during spring training. 04/23 2004 Mike Lamb devours Colorado pitching with four hits, including a double and triple, along with six RBIs to pace a 13-7 donnybrook over the Rockies. Craig Biggio and Orlando Palmeiro bash homers while Brandon Duckworth gets his first win as an Astro. 04/23 1986 Down 2-0 with two outs and nobody on base in the top of the ninth, Houston rallies for a 3-2 triumph in Atlanta. Craig Reynolds gets the game-winner with a two-run single off Bruce Sutter. 04/23 1972

Astros stun the Giants with ten runs in the ninth for a 13-7 victory. Cesar Cedeno contributes two hits in the inning, part of five on the day. Lee May has a three-run blast in the uprising. 04/23 1964

Ken Johnson no-hits the Reds but the Colts still lose, 1-0

. The run scores when Nellie Fox boots Vada Pinson's grounder in the ninth. Pete Rose had reached on Johnson's two-base error to start the inning. Joe Nuxhall fans Johnny Weekly to seal Johnson's fate as the hard-luck loser. 04/24 2022 Rookie shortstop Jeremy Pena snaps Houston's four-game losing streak when he blasts a two-run homer in the tenth inning to shock Toronto, 8-7. It's the young infielder's third homer of the season to tie for the club lead. Michael Brantley had earlier homered. The Astros' record sits at 7-8 despite the win. 04/24 2001 Moises Alou bangs two home runs among his four hits as Houston pounds the Braves, 11-6. Tony Eusebio adds a homer and three RBIs. 04/24 1983 Mike LaCoss battles Steve Carlton to a 2-2 draw before Jose Cruz caps a three-hit night with the game-winner in the eleventh. Omar Moreno scores for the 3-2 win over Philadelphia. 04/24 1972 Johnny Edwards takes Ferguson Jenkins deep to stop the Cubs, 3-2, in eleven innings

. Lee May and Ron Santo trade two-run shots in the first before Edwards breaks the tie. Jim Ray takes the victory. 04/24 1965 Bob Aspromonte is the first to set off the Astrodome scoreboard's home run display for its intended purpose

during a 5-0 shutout of the Pirates. Vern Law is the victim. Jim Wynn adds another blast two innings later to delight the crowd. Dick Farrell scatters seven hits. 04/24 1962 Colt .45s host St. Louis for the first time and defeat them, 4-3. The Houston Buffs were a farm club of the Cardinals for 40 years before the city joined the National League. Don Taussig's homer off Larry Jackson in the sixth inning is the game-winner

. Hal Woodeshick survives five errors to earn the victory. 04/25 2008 A triple by Miguel Tejada and a solo homer by Carlos Lee key a three-run rally in the ninth off Jason Isringhausen to stun the Cardinals, 3-2.

After starting the season 6-12, the revamped Astros notch their sixth win in a row to climb back to the .500 mark. 04/25 1994 Smurfish Andy Stankiewicz slugs a three-run homer off Denny Neagle and Craig Biggio later follows with a two-run shot to power Houston past the Pirates, 7-3. Pete Harnisch strikes out eight in a complete game performance. 04/25 1980

J.R. Richard notches his 100th victory, toppling the Mets, 7-4. Art Howe contributes three hits and Jeff Leonard homers in the win. 04/25 1969 San Francisco catcher Jack Hiatt drills two homers and drives in seven during a 12-8 decision over the Astros. Houston would later acquire Hiatt from the Cubs. 04/25 1965 Joe Morgan singles home Bob Aspromonte in the 11th inning for a 5-4 triumph over Pittsburgh. It's the first day game at the Astrodome after the ceiling tiles had been painted to reduce the glare. Pirate outfielder Bill Virdon couldn't use it as an excuse when Jim Wynn scores on his three-base error. Umpire Vinnie Smith couldn't use it as an excuse when he overturns his own home-run call on Walt Bond's drive off the fence. 04/26 1998 Former Expos Sean Berry and Moises Alou lead a 15-0 thrashing in Montreal. Alou homers and drives in five runs while Berry and Richard Hidalgo each deliver four hits. Derek Bell also belts a home run. Sean Bergman is the beneficiary as Houston tallies in six of the nine frames. 04/26 2011 After 11 seasons as one of the top Astro hitters in history, Lance Berkman returns for the first time as a St. Louis Cardinal. Welcomed with mostly applause, Berkman rips a go-ahead double in the ninth only to see Houston bounce back for a 6-5 triumph. Bill Hall singles through the drawn-in infield for the game-winner. Brett Wallace, Berkman's heir at first base, has three hits. Despite being last in the NL Central, the 9-14 Astros are just three games out of first. 04/26 1995 "Play Ball" never sounded so good. The Astros open the strike-delayed season with a 10-2 victory in San Diego. Jeff Bagwell, Derek Bell and Phil Plantier start the campaign with home runs. Doug Drabek works five innings for the win. Although over 41,000 attend, baseball's attendance plummets as resentment over the strike lingers. 04/26 1981 Bob Knepper tosses his second consecutive shutout, a 1-0 whitewash over Cincinnati. Denny Walling 's homer off Mario Soto accounts for the game's only run. Walling also supplies a defensive gem, an over-the shoulder grab with two men aboard to thwart a Red threat. 04/26 1963 Bob Bruce tosses the first one-hitter in franchise history, a 2-0 blanking of the Reds. A harmless single by Vada Pinson is the only blemish. Bruce needs just 96 pitches to accomplish the feat. 04/27 1998 Tony Eusebio's double caps a three-run ninth-inning rally that stuns the Mets, 4-3. Sacrifice flies by Moises Alou and Ricky Gutierrez precede the game-winner, which came on Eusebio's 31st birthday. C.J. Nitkowski picks up the victory. 04/27 1988 Nolan Ryan takes a no-hitter into the ninth inning against Philadelphia but loses it and the lead.

Mike Schmidt singles with one out before Lance Parrish doubles to tie the game. Houston wins it in the tenth, 3-2.

04/27 1983

Nolan Ryan breaks Walter Johnson's major league record for career strikeouts, fanning Montreal's Brad Mills for his 3,509th victim.

Ironically it was a curveball, not Ryan's famed fastball, that claims Mills. Ryan accomplishes the feat in 2,500 less innings than Johnson needed to set it. Nolan tips his cap to the applauding Canadian fans then quickly resumes on his way to a 4-2 victory. 04/27 1979 Art Howe singles home Craig Reynolds for a 9-8 triumph over Pittsburgh in eleven innings. It is Howe's fourth hit and fourth RBI of the game. Reynolds also has four hits. 04/27 1967 Joe Morgan keys a five-run outburst with a bases-loaded triple off Hal Woodeshick that drops the Cardinals, 6-4. The win ends a ten-game losing streak, their longest since 1963. 04/28 2000 Chris Holt one-hits the Brewers, 7-0. Jeff Bagwell, Richard Hidalgo and Daryle Ward support Holt with long balls. A second-inning single by Ron Belliard is the only Milwaukee safety. 04/28 1998 Sean Berry singles home Tim Bogar in the tenth inning for a 4-3 victory over the Mets. Moises Alou's two-run single off John Franco in the ninth sets the stage for Berry's heroics. 04/28 1984 NBC accidentally leaves the field microphone open while broadcasting a 5-3 Atlanta victory. Astro catcher Harry Spilman argues with home plate umpire Jerry Crawford. Manager Bob Lillis and Coach Denis Menke soon get into the act and profanities fly in every direction. NBC switchboards are flooded with complaints. 04/28 1973 Doug Rader and Jim Wynn blast homers off Montreal's Steve Renko as part of a five-run seventh inning that stops the Expos, 5-3. Fred Gladding picks up the win. 04/28 1965 New York broadcaster Lindsay Nelson calls the Mets' 12-9 loss to Houston from the gondola at the top of the Astrodome, located 208 feet above second base

. The umpires tell Met skipper Casey Stengel that any ball which might hit Nelson would still be considered in play. That doesn't occur but a lot does as the two teams trade the lead. Bob Aspromonte's bases-loaded single delivers the game-winner. 04/29 2005 For the first time in 113 years, a National League game features two starting pitchers with over 300 wins in their careers. Chicago's Greg Maddux edges Roger Clemens for a 3-2 verdict on Jeromy Burnitz' solo homer off Clemens in the seventh. Jeff Bagwell launches the 449th and final homer of his career. 04/29 1975 The Astros explode for eight runs in the seventh to topple the Padres, 8-2. J.R. Richard starts the scoring with a two-run single. Roger Metzger ends it in the same manner. Jose Cruz has two hits in the inning. Richard tosses a five-hitter. 04/29 1974 Lee May slams a pair of two-run homers in a nine-run sixth inning to spark an 18-2 mauling of Chicago. His two "taters" cap a five-for-five performance by the slugger to pace a 20-hit assault. Manager Preston Gomez gives May the rest of the night off or he might have done more. Winning pitcher Dave Roberts adds a sacrifice fly and an RBI single to the cause. The 18-2 win ties a club record for the largest margin of victory in a game. 04/29 1973 Montreal's Mike Marshall walks home the tying run in the bottom of the ninth before Tom Walker balks home Cesar Cedeno for a 4-3 Astros win. Bob Watson's two solo homers plated the other two Houston runs. 04/29 1962 Roman Mejias belts a ninth-inning homer off Don McMahon to beat Milwaukee, 3-2. Hal Smith and Jim Pendleton also launch solo homers in the victory. Dick Farrell takes the win in relief. 04/30 1994 Steve Finley and Jeff Bagwell each homer, part of their four hits apiece as Houston stomps the Cards, 15-5. Total attendance breaks the 50,000 mark for the first time in a regular-season game since 1966. 04/30 1982 Phil Garner celebrates his 33rd birthday with a three-run homer that beats his old Pittsburgh teammates, 4-3. Garner had been traded to Houston the previous summer. 04/30 1979 Terry Puhl's two-run homer in the ninth upends the Cardinals, 6-5. It caps a four-run rally which is just enough after Joaquin Andujar escapes a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half of the inning. 04/30 1969 Jim Maloney tosses a no-hitter as Cincinnati embarrasses the Astros, 10-0. The Reds ace fans 13 and walks five, including an intentional pass to Jim Wynn with the bases empty and two outs in the ninth. Doug Rader whiffs for the final out. Houston ends the month with a dismal 4-20 record. 04/30 1966 A dropped third strike keys a 5-4 win over the Braves. Phil Niekro has Rusty Staub out on strikes but he is safe at first after Gene Oliver lets the pitch roll away in the ninth inning. John Bateman eventually singles Staub home with the game-winner. Lee Maye and Jim Gentile also homer for Houston.