09/01 2019 
Justin Verlander tosses the third no-hitter of his career and first as an Astro with a 2-0 masterpiece over the Blue Jays. He needs 120 pitches for the complete-game gem and strikes out 14 while walking one
. The game is a scoreless tie until the top of the ninth when rookie Abraham Toro, who was raised in Canada, smacks a two-out, two-run homer for the game-winner.
09/01 2014 Bo Porter is dismissed as manager of the Astros as internal dissension over personnel moves comes to a boil. Tom Lawless is named the interim manager. Despite a 110-190 record (.367) in less than two years, Porter had seen his club win more in five months of 2014 than they had the entire 2013 campaign.
09/01 2003 Jeff Kent belts a grand slam and drives in six as Houston bombs Los Angeles, 10-1. Brad Ausmus adds a home run. Wade Miller ups his record to 12-11. The Astros tie St. Louis for the Central Division lead while Chicago lurks just 1-1/2 games behind.
09/01 1976 Bo McLaughlin blanks the Phillies, 1-0, as the club notches their sixth straight complete-game to tie a team record. McLaughlin surrenders six hits. A solo shot by Cliff Johnson off Jim Kaat provides the game's only tally.
09/01 1964 Colt .45s have trouble leaving their Philadelphia hotel as a local radio station falsely reports that the Beatles are staying there. Teenaged fans swarm the exits, seeking a glimpse of the Fab Four. Battling past the mob, the .45s then lose to the Phils, 4-3, on four solo homers.
09/02 2005 Morgan Ensberg and Brad Ausmus surprise St. Louis closer Jason Isringhausen with homers to extend the game into extra innings. The Cardinals take the lead yet again in the 13th but the Astros rally with two in their half for a 6-5 thriller. Eric Bruntlett delivers the game-winning single to keep the Astros a half-game behind the Phillies in the wild card race.
09/02 1998 Randy Johnson outduels Atlanta's Greg Maddux for a 4-2 triumph. Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Sean Berry take Maddux deep. Billy Wagner closes for his 27th save.
09/02 1981 Bob Knepper hurls a three-hitter as Houston blanks the Mets, 8-0, to take over first place in the second-half standings. Knepper adds a two-run double to his cause. Alan Ashby and Tony Scott deliver four hits each in the 16-hit assault. Their victim? A lad named Mike Scott.
09/02 1971 Trailing 3-2 to Los Angeles, and with the bases full, Cesar Cedeno bloops a pitch off Claude Osteen into shallow right field. Bill Buckner and Jim Lefebvre collide while trying to catch the ball and it trickles into the corner. By the time the ball is retrieved, Cedeno has a 170-ft. inside-the-park grand slam to highlight a 9-3 victory.
09/02 1969 Amazing. It's September and the Astros are actually in a pennant race. They rally to drop the Cardinals in eleven, 7-6, when Jesus Alou's base hit plates Johnny Edwards. Joe Morgan and Doug Rader play long ball to overcome a 6-1 deficit. Houston sits in fifth place but just five games behind the front-running Giants and six games over the .500 mark.
09/03 2004 Roger Clemens claims his 325th career victory, passing Nolan Ryan and Don Sutton, two former Astros, for 12th place on the all-time wins list. He does so in an 8-6 triumph over Pittsburgh. Home runs by Jose Vizcaino, Carlos Beltran, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell stake Clemens to a 7-0 lead but he gives up six runs in the seventh before leaving. Lance Berkman adds an insurance tally while the bullpen quiets the Bucs. It is Clemens' 15th win of the season and Houston's seventh straight as they climb within 2-1/2 games of Chicago for the wild card playoff spot.
09/03 1999 Ken Caminiti smashes two homers, a single and a sacrifice fly to plate six runs as the Astros dump the Expos, 8-1. Mike Hampton works seven strong innings for his 18th win.
09/03 1986 Billy Hatcher homers in the 18th inning for an 8-7 victory in Chicago 
. The game had been suspended for darkness the previous day at 4-4 after 14 frames. Houston scores three in the 17th only to see the lead erased on a three-run bomb by Keith Moreland. In the regular game, Mike Scott fans twelve in an 8-2 victory, which includes a rare four-strikeout inning. The Astros push their lead to eight games over the Reds.
09/03 1964 Don Larsen tosses a four-hit shutout at Philadelphia, 6-0 . Mike White paces the Colts attack with four hits while Eddie Kasko chips in three.
09/03 1962 Houston loses a twinbill with Philadelphia, 3-2 and 5-3, even though it is "Break The Jinx Night" with fans admitted at half-price for bringing their good luck charms. Bob Bruce is the hero the next day in a 4-1 triumph or the Colts would have become the first big league team ever to be swept in a season series.
09/04 2023 Mauricio Dubon and Jose Altuve become the second pair of Astros to crack back-to-back homers twice in one game as Houston bombs the Rangers, 13-6 to pull into a tie atop the American League West. Yanier Diaz also goes deep while Altuve and Alex Bregman spank four hits apiece.
09/04 2015 Collin McHugh wins his 15th in an 8-0 whitewash of the Twins. Backup catcher Hank Conger goes deep, becoming the tenth Astro to bash ten or more homers during the season, a franchise record. Five days later, Marwin Gonzalez would join the club to tie a major league record for most players with double-digit homers on one team.
09/04 2006 Charlton Jimerson homers in his first major league at-bat - the third time an Astro has accomplished this feat. His pinch-hit blast in the sixth breaks up a no-hit bid by Cole Hamels to tie Philadelphia at 1-1 but Chase Utley gives the Phils their first win over Houston in three years with a solo shot off Dave Borkowski in the tenth for a 3-2 decision. Time's running out on Houston who is four games below .500 yet 4-1/2 games out in the wild card race.
09/04 1990 Down 7-0, the Astros respond for a 10-8 triumph at Dodger Stadium. A three-run pinch-hit bomb by Eric Anthony starts the comeback. An error by Hubie Brooks allows the game-winner. Luis Gonzalez strikes out in his big league debut.
09/04 1987 Nolan Ryan and Juan Agosto combine on a two-hitter for a 2-0 whitewash of the Pirates. Ryan notches his 210th strikeout of the season, most ever by a pitcher aged 40 or older. A two-run single by Bill Doran plates the only runs.
09/04 1974 Don Wilson is taken out after eight innings of no-hit ball. He is behind, 2-1. Two walks and an error have put Cincinnati ahead. Ironies abound. Wilson is approaching a rare third career no-hitter. The man who hit into the error is Pete Rose, who hit into the run-scoring error that made Ken Johnson a no-hit loser in 1964. The Houston manager is Preston Gomez who similarly yanked Clay Kirby during a no-hit bid while with San Diego. Kirby is watching from the Reds' dugout. Mike Cosgrove gives up a meaningless single in the ninth that breaks up the bid. Houston loses. Gomez hears the boos.
09/05 2022 Top prospect Hunter Brown makes his big league debut, tossing six shutout innings in a 1-0 whitewash of the Rangers. The righthander from Detroit allows three hits and a walk while fanning five. Bryan Abreu, Hector Neris and Rafael Montero close out with three no-hit innings.
09/05 2019 Down 7-0 to Seattle, the Astros fight back to tie it, 8-8, after nine innings. The Mariners score a run in the 12th but Houston ties it on an RBI single by Kyle Tucker. Then, in the 13th, Michael Brantley slams a two-run walk-off homer to end the 11-9 thriller. The Astros remain nine games ahead of Oakland in the division race.
09/05 2001 Vinny Castilla blasts a homer and two doubles to drive in six and give the Reds the blues, 10-3. Daryle Ward and Jose Vizcaino also double twice. Dave Mlicki coasts to the easy victory.
09/05 1988 Bob Forsch, Ken's younger brother who was acquired six days earlier for Denny Walling, strokes a three-run double and scatters five hits in his Houston debut, a 3-0 shutout over Cincinnati. Dave Smith takes over in the ninth for the save.
09/05 1971 J.R. Richard fans Hal Lanier to end a complete-game victory in his big league debut. The 5-3 win caps a doubleheader sweep in San Francisco. Richard's 15 strikeouts ties the record for a major league premiere, which Brooklyn's Karl Spooner set in 1954. Jack Billingham whiffs 11 Giants in the opener, a 1-0 shutout. The combined 26 strikeouts sets a major league mark by one team in a twinbill.
09/05 1962 Jim Umbricht gets his first major league hit and his first win as a Colt .45. His RBI single scores Johnny Temple to cap a 5-3 victory over Pittsburgh. Jim Pendleton drives home the winning run with a hit off 43-year-old rookie Diomedes Olivo.
09/06 2008 Roy Oswalt spins a one-hitter, blanking the Rockies, 2-0. A single by Brad Hawpe is the only Colorado safety. Oswalt fans six and walks two. Hunter Pence's two-run homer provides the only runs of the game. The Astros are 28-11 since July 26th but remain in fourth place in their division with only faint playoff hopes.
09/06 1991 Pete Harnisch becomes the second Astro to strike out the side on nine pitches. It happens in the seventh inning of a 3-1 triumph over the Phillies. Harnisch scatters four hits while Jeff Bagwell and Andujar Cedeno go deep for all of Houston's runs.
09/06 1986 A two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth by Jose Cruz off Todd Worrell stuns the Cardinals, 7-6. Glenn Davis also homers and drives in three. Charley Kerfeld wins his ninth in relief.
09/06 1984 Craig Reynolds blasts a grand slam and Glenn Davis smashes his first big league homer as Houston crushes the Giants, 14-2. Bob Knepper contributes two hits and three RBIs as well as a seven-hit complete game victory.
09/06 1980 Art Howe ties a club record with his eighth consecutive hit, a two-run single that paces a 9-5 win over St. Louis. A grand slam by Jose Cruz highlights the 6-4 nightcap for a twinbill sweep , drawing the Astros to within one game of the Dodgers for the N.L. West lead. Vern Ruhle goes the distance in the second game. Ruhle's performance while replacing J.R. Richard after his stroke keeps the Astros in the pennant race.
09/07 2005 Craig Biggio blasts a dramatic three-run homer off ex-Astro Billy Wagner with two outs in the ninth to stun the Phillies, 8-6. Lance Berkman and Mike Lamb had previously gone deep. It's the second night in a row the Astros tag their former closer for the winning run, extending Houston's mastery over Philadelphia to 12 straight, not having lost to them since May of 2003. The Astros maintain a one-game lead over Florida in the wild card chase.
09/07 1998 Randy Johnson fires a six-hit shutout, 1-0, over Cincinnati to sport a record of 7-1 with a 1.00 ERA since his midseason trade from Seattle. He fans 14. Derek Bell supplies the game's only run with a solo shot off Steve Parris in the sixth.
09/07 1976 Ken Boswell's bases-loaded triple keys an eight-run seventh inning as the Astros wrench the Big Red Machine, 10-5. Cliff Johnson adds a two-run double. Starter Joe Sambito gets the win.
09/07 1972 Don Wilson ties a club record by tossing 13 innings in a complete-game 5-1 victory in San Francisco. Bob Watson and Roger Metzger end it with home runs in the decisive frame. Metzger finishes with four hits and four RBIs. Imagine how scribes would howl at Leo Durocher these days for keeping Wilson out there for 193 pitches.
09/07 1968 Even the greats are human. Atlanta's Hank Aaron, representing the winning run, stumbles and falls rounding third base in the bottom of the ninth on a single by Sonny Jackson and is caught in a rundown. Doug Rader tags him out on a play where Aaron should have scored easily. Instead, the game goes into extra innings where Rader and Jim Wynn smack doubles to key a 6-3 ten-inning triumph.
09/08 2004 Once down by seven games in the Wild Card standings and behind five other clubs, the Astros come all the way back on the wings of their 12th straight win, a 5-2 triumph over Cincinnati, clinching their third straight series sweep. Four homers in the first inning (by Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman and Mike Lamb) is all Roger Clemens needs to get his 16th win, the 326th of his career, passing Eddie Plank for 11th on the All-Time wins list. The Astros tie the club record for winning streaks, set in 1999. The victory, however, ends their streak of eleven straight games scoring six or more runs, not done since the Brooklyn Bridegrooms in 1895.
09/08 2002 Craig Biggio, Brian Hunter and Lance Berkman launch homers in a 6-2 victory in Los Angeles. Roy Oswalt wins his 19th of the year. The suddenly dangerous Hunter knocks out Dodger hurler Kazuhisa Ishii with a line drive double off the pitcher's head. Ishii suffers a concussion and a small skull fracture. Back in Houston, few notice since the NFL expansion Houston Texans are shocking the Dallas Cowboys, 19-10, in their very first regular season game.
09/08 1998 Jeff Bagwell launches his first career grand slam and drives in six as Houston mauls the Reds, 13-7. Bagwell and Derek Bell contribute three hits apiece. Sean Bergman picks up the victory.
09/08 1993 Darryl Kile hurls the ninth no-hitter in franchise history, a 7-1 triumph over the New York Mets. Kile fans Tito Navarro and Chico Walker to finish the game . Ken Caminiti and Andujar Cedeno both slug home runs and each provide a defensive gem in the seventh to preserve the no-hitter.
09/08 1975 Cesar Cedeno drills two home runs and a two-run single to drive in six during a 9-6 win in Atlanta. Only 737 fans witness it. Cedeno's three-run bomb off Bruce Dal Canton in the eighth puts Houston ahead to stay.
09/09 2019 Houston sets a major league record with 36 runs scored in two consecutive games with a 15-0 slaughter of Oakland. This came after a 21-1 massacre of Seattle the day before in which Gerrit Cole celebrated his 29th birthday with eight innings of 1-hit ball and the Astros set a franchise mark with 11 doubles. Yordan Alvarez drove in six. Alvarez stayed hot against the A's with two home runs, including one that landed in a section of stands down the right field line that had never been reached before. Robinson Chirinos also went deep twice and drove in six.
09/09 2008 For the first time in National League history, instant replay is used to help officiate a game. Hunter Pence's double in the sixth inning is reviewed to see if it might have been a home run but replays set up in New York back the umpire's call. Nonetheless, Houston drops the Pirates, 9-3, to suddenly climb within four games of the faltering Brewers in the wild card race. Lance Berkman homers and drives in four to reach 100 RBIs for the sixth time in his 10-year career.
09/09 2001 Roy Oswalt fans a dozen Brewers in a complete game shutout, 8-0. Four home runs provide plenty of support. Oswalt runs his record to 14-2 in his rookie season but injuries keep him out of the stretch drive. Houston expands their division lead to 5-1/2 games over St. Louis. They will not play again for nine days.
09/09 1987 Nolan Ryan notches his 4,500th strikeout during a 4-2 victory over San Francisco. Mike Aldrete is the milestone victim as the last out in the seventh. It was quite a night for the Ryan Express - he fans 16 and contributes two hits of his own. One drives in the game's first run. Ryan now leads the N.L. in ERA (2.76) and strikeouts (226) but suffers an 8-15 record. Ryan predicts this "old dog" won't reach number 5,000.
09/09 1967 Jim Wynn smashes two home runs, his 34th and 35th of the year, to drop the Dodgers, 5-3. Wynn becomes the first in franchise history to reach 100 RBIs. Mike Cuellar wins his 14th of the year.
09/10 2005 It's another milestone moment for Craig Biggio. With a two-run double to right in the second, Biggio becomes the 13th major leaguer to reach 600 doubles in his career. He's the first player in big league history to combine 600 doubles, 2700 hits, 250 homers and 400 steals. His three hits give him 2777, passing Andre Dawson for 43rd on the all-time list. Meanwhile, Andy Pettitte notches his 15th win and Brad Lidge claims his 36th save in a 7-5 triumph at Milwaukee to stay a half-game ahead of Florida in the wild card race.
09/10 1999 Ricky Gutierrez rips four hits and drives home the tying run in the bottom of the ninth before Carl Everett sends the crowd away happy with a two-run homer in the 13th for a 6-4 triumph over the Cubs, Houston's eighth straight win. It's Carl's second homer of the night. Billy Wagner, the seventh Astro pitcher, gets the win.
09/10 1987 Glenn Davis smashes three home runs and drives in five but the Astros fall to San Diego, 8-7. Alan Ashby also homers and hits a sacrifice fly in the ninth to tie it but Rob Nelson's pinch-hit single in the bottom of the frame settles the issue.
09/10 1980 Jose Cruz slams a 12th-inning homer off Rick Sutcliffe at the Dome to cap a furious 6-5 victory over Los Angeles to tie the Dodgers for the N.L. West lead. Two Astros were thrown out at the plate earlier trying to score the winning run. Cruz had ignited two rallies that forced a 3-3 tie in regulation. Cesar Cedeno contributes four hits.
09/10 1969 Jim Wynn's homer and Denis Menke's bases-loaded double spark an 8-1 win over the Dodgers. Denny Lemaster scatters six hits. The Astros are tied for fourth in the tight N.L. West, but are just two games out of first place.
09/11 2001 We will never forget. Baseball is interrupted for a week as the nation responds to terrorist attacks that kill thousands on the East Coast. The missed games are added onto the end of the schedule.
09/11 1999 Jose Lima defeats the Cubs, 5-3, to become Houston's first 20-game winner in ten years. Tony Eusebio supports his pitcher with two hits, including a home run.
09/11 1979 Cincinnati overtakes Houston for the N.L. West lead during a tense 9-8 loss at Riverfront Stadium. It is the Astros' first true pennant-race showdown. Both aces, Tom Seaver and J.R. Richard, start. They are long gone by the time Dave Concepcion and George Foster homer off Joe Sambito for the decisive runs. Rafael Landestoy goes 5-for-5 to pace Houston.
09/11 1967 Jim Wynn cracks his 37th homer of the season in an 11-10 squeaker over the Cubs. The home run mark would stand for 27 years. Houston uses nine pitchers in the victory, including catcher Ron Brand in the eighth when it looked like the Astros had control.
09/11 1961 Colt .45s ink 17-year-old Daniel "Rusty" Staub to a contract, winning a bidding war for the New Orleans schoolboy with a $110,000 signing bonus. It's the same day that Hurricane Carla smashes into the Texas Gulf Coast with winds over 120-MPH. While striking south of the Houston area, the local winds and rain are enough to inflict damage on Busch Stadium where the Houston Buffs play. The stadium is auctioned and demolished in the coming months, leaving a void for fans of the longtime minor league club.
09/12 2021 26-year-old Jose Siri, a September call-up, makes his first big league start a memorable one. The Dominican outfielder blasts two home runs and drives in five during a 15-1 spanking of the Rangers. Siri has four hits and scores thrice. Yordan Alvarez also crushes a pair of opposite field homers to give him 30 long balls on the year. Eight of the 16 hits are for extra bases. Houston owns a 6-1/2 game lead over Seattle in the A.L. West.
09/12 2020 During the COVID-shortened 60-game season, the Astros are floundering through a 1-8 California road trip when they surprise the Dodgers with five runs in the ninth off Kenley Jansen to post a 7-5 upset. A two-run double by Josh Reddick is the key blow. Houston stands at .500 (23-23) for the season and clinging to the sixth seed in the expanded eight-team playoff hunt.
09/12 1997 Derek Bell drives in four to pace the Astros over Los Angeles, 10-3. His two-run homer may have been to cover the embarrassment of being caught off first earlier on a throw by Raul Mondesi. Ricky Gutierrez plates three to help the cause. Houston leads the N.L. Central by 3-1/2 games over Pittsburgh, yet are only two games over .500 at 74-72.
09/12 1993 Jeff Bagwell's hand is broken on a pitch by Philadelphia's Ben Rivera. Short term, the Astros don't hurt much as replacement Chris Donnels smashes a home run in a 9-2 triumph. Craig Biggio also goes deep. Pete Harnisch sails to his 14th victory.
09/12 1986 Billy Hatcher's two-run single is the game-winner as the Astros stun the Padres, 5-3, with three runs in the ninth. Terry Puhl draws a bases-loaded walk off Goose Gossage to tie it. Dave Smith becomes the first Astro to reach 30 saves.
09/12 1977 Jose Cruz and Cesar Cedeno both sock a pair of homers, blasting Cincinnati, 7-2. Bob Watson belts another for good measure. Cedeno has four hits, including a triple. J.R. Richard whiffs eleven Reds for his 15th win.
09/13 2015 Down 3-0 with nobody on and two outs in the ninth, the Astros create a Hollywood ending in Anaheim. After Preston Tucker homered off Huston Street, George Springer tripled and Jose Altuve singled him home. Carlos Correa slapped a base hit before pinch-hitter Jed Lowrie drove a pitch into the right field seats for a 5-3 miracle finish. Chad Qualls claims the win in relief. Houston keeps a 1-1/2 game lead over the Rangers in the Wild West.
09/13 2008 Hurricane Ike, a massive Category 2 storm, crashes into Galveston Island doing damage throughout the upper Texas and Louisiana coasts. Minute Maid Park survives with little damage but Houston fans learn that a key three-game series with the Cubs delayed by Ike will be moved to Milwaukee. The Astros have crept within 2-1/2 games of the Brewers in the wild card race after winning 14 of their last 15 before the weather disaster but lose five straight when forced to hit the road. Ultimately, they finish third in the Central Division with an 86-75 record.
09/13 1999 Mike Hampton defeats the Phillies, 13-2, for his 20th win, joining Jose Lima as the team's first 20-20 pair of aces. Houston coaxes eleven walks to go with just ten hits as they notch their tenth straight victory.
09/13 1969 Larry Dierker tosses 8-2/3rds no-hit innings against Atlanta in quest of his 20th win. An infield single by Felix Millan breaks up the no-hitter but the game is still tied, 0-0. Dierker leaves in the 13th with a 2-0 lead, only to see ex-Astros Sonny Jackson and Bob Aspromonte key a three-run Atlanta rally for a nightmarish 3-2 defeat. Houston drops to fifth place, 4-1/2 games out of the N.L. West lead.
09/13 1965 Willie Mays of the Giants becomes only the fifth major leaguer to reach 500 home runs when he tags Don Nottebart during a 5-1 San Francisco verdict. Mays stands and watches as the ball lands deep in the tunnel beyond centerfield at the Astrodome - an estimated 430-footer.
09/14 2005 On the day his mother Bess passes away from emphysema, Roger Clemens notches his 340th career win, a critical 10-2 victory over Florida that halts a three-game losing skid and keeps Houston 1/2 game behind in the wild card race. Mike Lamb has three hits to pace the offense. Clemens often credited his mother for his success and had thoughts of retiring so she could attend his eventual Hall of Fame induction. Roger's sister claims Bess correctly predicted the final score of the game from her deathbed and foreshadowed an encounter with the Chicago White Sox.
09/14 1999 Astros pound the Phillies, 12-2, to set a team-record twelve-game winning streak. Shane Reynolds smokes a two-run bomb off Paul Byrd for an early 3-0 lead, then a six-run fourth ices the game, capped by a two-run single from Daryle Ward . Amazingly, Houston can only gain 1-1/2 games on the Reds during their win streak and lead Cincinnati by four in the N.L. Central chase.
09/14 1989 Mike Scott becomes the fourth Astro to reach 20 wins during an 11-3 triumph in Los Angeles. Batterymate Craig Biggio makes it easy for Scott, whacking two home runs and driving in six. Rafael Ramirez adds four hits.
09/14 1987 Gerald Young notches four hits and swipes four bases to lead Houston over the Dodgers, 8-1. Kevin Bass also has a four-hit night with a home run and four RBIs. Nolan Ryan registers nine whiffs in a little over six innings for the victory.
09/14 1967 Walt Bond, who led the Colt .45s in home runs and RBIs three years earlier, dies of leukemia at Methodist Hospital. He was 29 years old.
09/15 2000 Chris Truby drives in five runs while Moises Alou plates four to pace a 16-7 massacre of the Pirates. Both go deep in the contest. Truby also adds a double and a triple. Brian Powell wins in relief.
09/15 1998 Houston splits a doubleheader with the Mets, taking the opener in twelve innings, 6-5, for their record 97th win of the season. They lose the nightcap, 8-4. Houston wins the N.L. Central crown but the champagne is a little stale. The Astros "back in" to the title when the Cubs lose.
09/15 1992 Jeff Bagwell drills a three-run blast off Steve Reed in the bottom of the 11th to slay the Giants, 9-6. It's Bagwell's fifth hit of the night. Earlier, Steve Finley had taken San Francisco closer Rod Beck deep in the ninth to send the match to extra innings.
09/15 1985 Glenn Davis blasts a solo shot in the bottom of the eighth off Craig Lefferts for a 2-1 victory over San Diego. Jose Cruz notches the 2,000th hit of his career. Meanwhile, Joe Niekro is dealt to the New York Yankees for pitcher Jim Deshaies and two other prospects.
09/15 1963 The Colts surrender just seven hits in sweeping a twinbill from the Mets, 5-4 and 5-0. Turk Farrell goes the distance on four hits in the opener while fanning eleven. Chris Zachary and Hal Woodeshick combine for a three-hit shutout in the nightcap. Teenager Rusty Staub and Johnny Weekly go deep in the second game.
09/16 2022 Yordan Alvarez smashes three home runs during a 5-0 whitewash of the A's. All three missiles travel 430 feet or beyond with the last one reaching a dining pavilion to the right of the batters eye beyond center field. Jeremy Pena also goes deep. Justin Verlander, recovering from a sore calf, tossed five no-hit innings and struck out nine to claim his 17th win.
09/16 2007 September call-up Josh Anderson goes 5-for-5 and reaches base six times in a 15-3 rout of Pittsburgh. The outfielder, in just his third big league start, spanks four singles and a double as well as being hit by a pitch. Home runs are provided by Cody Ransom, Ty Wigginton and Chris Burke. Brandon Backe enjoys the 22-hit support, winning his first game in over a year after returning from elbow surgery.
09/16 2005 This wasn't just an ordinary game-winning single in the bottom of the ninth for Jeff Bagwell. It was his first big league hit since mid-May when he decided on surgery to help an arthritic shoulder. There were no guarantees the franchise's home run champ would be able to resume playing. His hit scores Willy Taveras for a 2-1 triumph over Milwaukee to keep the Astros a half-game ahead in the wild card race. Elsewhere, former Astro owner John McMullen, the man who signed the first million-dollar free agent (Nolan Ryan), dies at age 87. McMullen owned the ballclub from 1979 to 1992.
09/16 2003 Richard Hidalgo blasts three homers and drives in five to lead a 14-4 slugfest over the Rockies at Coors Field . Adam Everett, Morgan Ensberg and Jeff Kent join him in the home run derby. Jeriome Robertson wins his 15th, a Houston rookie record, to keep the Astros 1-1/2 games ahead of Chicago in the N.L. Central race.
09/16 1997 Jeff Bagwell launches his 40th homer of the season in a 15-3 laugher over San Diego. Sean Bergman is the victim. Bagwell's blast comes in a six-run fourth that extends the lead to 13-1. Ramon Garcia benefits from the offensive support for his seventh win.
09/16 1966 Sonny Jackson goes 5-for-5 and Chuck Harrison belts a grand slam as the Astros break nemesis Chris Short and the Phillies, 6-4. Mike Cuellar tosses his sixth straight complete game.
09/17 2011 With a 2-1 loss to the Cubs at Wrigley Field, the Astros suffer the first 100-loss season in their 50-year history. For trivia buffs, the decisive run came in the fourth when rookie Bryan LaHair homered off rookie Henry Sosa. Houston would finish the season with the worst record in the majors at 56-106.
09/17 1993 Pete Harnisch one-hits the Padres, 3-0 . The lone hit is a sixth-inning bunt by Jarvis Brown that many think should have been ruled an error on first baseman Chris Donnels. Donnels atones with a two-run double in the seventh to provide Harnisch offensive support.
09/17 1972 Lee May and Cesar Cedeno drive in five runs apiece as Houston storms back to win a 15-11 slugfest over the Dodgers. A four-run seventh overcomes a 10-8 Los Angeles lead then May ices it with a three-run double. Fred Gladding calms the chaos for his 17th save.
09/17 1971 Don Wilson fires a one-hitter and drives in two to sink the Reds, 4-1. The Astros make their second triple play of the season as Joe Morgan snares a blooper by Darrell Chaney, flips to Roger Metzger for the force at second, who then throws to John Mayberry at first. Wilson wins his 16th, contributing a suicide squeeze and an RBI single to his own cause.
09/17 1969 Larry Dierker becomes the first Houston pitcher to reach 20 wins in a 2-1 victory at San Francisco. Jim Wynn and Doug Rader homer off Gaylord Perry for the decisive runs. For Giant fans, the chance to see Willie Mays hit his 600th homer is the big attraction but Dierker and Jim Bouton limit him to a single and two walks. The Astros are five games over .500 and 5-1/2 games out of first.
09/18 2019 Gerrit Cole fans ten Rangers to pass 300 strikeouts on the season, the third pitcher in Astros history and the 18th major leaguer since 1900 to accomplish this feat. Cole completes eight innings while notching his 18th win in the 3-2 victory which also makes Houston the sixth franchise in history with three consecutive years of 100 or more wins. Yuli Gurriel and Jose Altuve homer to clinch a playoff berth for the fourth time in five seasons.
09/18 2001 In their first game since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Astros stun Robb Nen with two runs in the ninth to edge the Giants, 3-2. Jeff Bagwell's triple chases home Adam Everett before Moises Alou's sacrifice fly breaks the tie. Mike Williams wins in relief while Billy Wagner notches his 37th save.
09/18 1998 Craig Biggio bangs four hits, including his 50th double of the year, during a 5-2 victory over the Pirates. Randy Johnson fans twelve en route to his ninth win in a Houston uniform. The 6-10 Johnson adds a double and a sacrifice bunt in the effort.
09/18 1980 Joe Morgan victimizes his ex-teammates with a tie-breaking two-run homer as Houston puts a 10-2 hurt on Cincinnati . Jose Cruz follows with a two-run shot of his own. The win keeps the Astros within a game of the Dodgers in the tight N.L. West race.
09/18 1966 19-year-old Nolan Ryan of Alvin pitches for the New York Mets at the Dome. He strikes out the side in his one inning of work. He also surrenders two walks and four hits as the Astros plate four runs. Houston wins, 9-2. In the nightcap of the doubleheader, another Met rookie, Tug McGraw, is lit for four early runs as the Astros hold on to sweep it, 6-5.
09/19 2004 Roger Clemens and Brad Lidge combine to blank the Brewers, 1-0, on a two-hitter while striking out 13. Clemens claims the 328th win of his career, becoming the tenth best of all time. He provides offense, too, driving in the game's only run and later blasting a double - one of just four Houston hits. Craig Biggio also doubles to move past Eddie Murray into 18th all-time in that category. The win keeps Houston a half-game behind Chicago and tied with San Francisco in the wild card race.
09/19 1999 Jeff Bagwell slugs a two-run bomb off Rick Croushore to nip the Cardinals, 4-3. Chris Holt holds St. Louis in check except for Mark McGwire, who drills his 57th and 58th homers of the season. Billy Wagner earns his 37th save, breaking the club record set by Doug Jones in 1992.
09/19 1971 Joe Morgan bashes an 11th-inning homer on his 28th birthday to torpedo the Reds, 5-4. It's his last long ball before the Reds acquire him in a trade. Cesar Cedeno goes 4-for-4. Despite the win, Houston is eliminated from the division race.
09/19 1969 Keith Lampard, a native of England, gets his first and last major league homer. It's a two-run pinch-hit shot in the bottom of the ninth off Wayne Granger to shock the Reds, 3-2. So excited, the Brit almost runs past Jim Wynn on his way around the bases. Wynn had walked for the fourth time of the night. Houston sets an N.L. record for strikeouts with 1,125. Ironically, it's a knuckleball from Jim Bouton that sets the mark on a squad full of flamethrowers.
09/19 1964 The first manager in franchise history, Harry Craft, is fired with a 61-88 mark. Luman Harris is named to replace him. Nellie Fox starts off the new skipper's reign with a game-winning pinch-hit single in the ninth for a 2-1 win over the Mets.
09/20 2007 J.R. Towles, a catcher playing in his sixth major league game, claims the franchise record with eight RBIs in an 18-1 demolition of the Cardinals, setting the largest winning margin in club history. Towles goes 4-for-4 with two doubles, his first big league homer, a walk and a hit-by-pitch . Wandy Rodriguez tosses eight strong innings for his ninth win. Off the field, the Astros name Ed Wade as their new general manager.
09/20 1998 Shane Reynolds earns his 19th win while Richard Hidalgo belts two solo homers for a 2-0 whitewash of the Pirates. Reynolds gets help from Jay Powell and Billy Wagner on the shutout. The Astros reach 99 wins for the first time in their history.
09/20 1983 Jose Cruz smacks a two-run single and a grand slam to pace a 15-2 demolition of Los Angeles. Alejandro Pena, Burt Hooton and Pat Zachry are torched for 13 runs in the first four innings. Denny Walling chimes in with three hits, including two doubles and three RBIs. Nolan Ryan coasts to his 14th win.
09/20 1981 A nutty day at Candlestick Park begins when a skydiver misses the stadium and crashes into the parking lot, breaking both feet. Gary Woods is lifted for pinch-hitter Terry Puhl in the top of the first inning. Nolan Ryan's apparent single to right fails when he is gunned down at first by Jack Clark. Tony Scott, who stars with four hits including a double and a homer, is tagged out at second after advancing on a base on balls. Somehow, Houston wins, 7-3.
09/20 1972 Atlanta plates 13 runs in one inning to bomb the Astros, 13-6. Felix Millan drives in five runs in the inning with a bases-loaded triple and a two-run single. Cesar Cedeno and Doug Rader homer in a five-run response, but it's not enough.
09/21 2009 Cecil Cooper is fired with 13 games left in the season. His 70-79 record leaves him one game over .500 for his tenure with Houston (171-170). Dave Clark is named interim manager but it doesn't help the first night as the Astros lose to St. Louis, 7-3, for their eighth consecutive defeat. Houston ends the year with a 74-88 mark, finishing fifth in the division for the first time since the three-division format began in 1994.
09/21 1990 Mike Simms' first big league homer in the tenth inning scalps the Braves, 4-3. Jim Deshaies benefits when Ken Caminiti takes a grounder from Francisco Cabrera and sends it around the horn to Dave Rohde and Simms for a triple play to squelch a threat.
09/21 1988 Bob Knepper fires a one-hitter to stifle Atlanta, 1-0. An infield hit by Dale Murphy in the second and a walk to Bruce Benedict in the ninth are the only baserunners he allows. Gerald Young's single in the eighth scores Ken Caminiti for the game's only run.
09/21 1980 Vern Ruhle hurls 7-2/3rds innings of no-hit ball and claims a 5-1 win in San Francisco that retakes the division lead from Los Angeles. Jim Wohlford breaks up the bid and Ruhle finishes with a three-hitter. Art Howe homers and Gary Woods drives in a pair.
09/21 1979 Bruce Bochy singles home Craig Reynolds with the game-winner as Houston clips the Reds, 3-2, in 13 innings, closing within 1-1/2 games of Cincinnati in the N.L. West race. Terry Puhl plates the other two runs with singles off Tom Seaver. J.R. Richard fans 15 in eleven innings and shocks everyone with a bunt single in the tenth. Richard presses his luck by trying to steal second where Johnny Bench's throw arrives well ahead of him.
09/22 2019 Justin Verlander wins his 20th game as the Astros celebrate their third consecutive AL West title in a 13-5 trouncing of Anaheim. George Springer smashes three homers to lead the offense. Alex Bregman and Aledmys Diaz also go deep.
09/22 2000 Richard Hidalgo hits two home runs to give him a career-high 44 while the Astros set a National League mark for homers by one team (ending with 249). But Houston gives up six home runs, including three off Jose Lima who sets another league home run record (47) as Cincinnati wins, 12-5, at Cinergy Field.
09/22 1997 Jeff Bagwell steals third base against Mike Remlinger of Cincinnati to become the first 30-30 (HRs, SBs) player in franchise history. Houston tops the Reds, 6-3. A four-run eighth is the difference, keyed by a two-run pinch single by Bill Spiers.
09/22 1969 Third base coach Salty Parker sends Norm Miller home from third when he sees a white object fly away from Atlanta catcher Bob Didier after a pitch. The object turns out not to be the ball, but a finger cast the catcher was wearing on his glove hand. Miller is easily tagged out. The 5-3 loss creates an unhappy 23rd birthday for sore-armed Larry Dierker who broke in with the Colt .45s on his birthday five years earlier.
09/22 1963 Joe Morgan delivers the winning hit in his second major league game, a pinch single with two outs in the ninth to nip the Phillies, 2-1. This prompts a tirade from Philadelphia skipper Gene Mauch who trashes the post-game meal after his squad let "a little leaguer" beat them.
09/23 2004 Lance Berkman tags Dustin Hermanson with a three-run bomb in the ninth inning that keys a 7-3 win in San Francisco when it appeared the Giants were set to sweep the three-game series . The blast ignites a five-run outburst that would prove to be important in the season's final weekend. Berkman tops the 100-RBI mark for the third time in four seasons.
09/23 1998 Astros reach 100 wins for the first time in their history. The triumph is a 7-1 drubbing of St. Louis. Randy Johnson takes the victory to go 10-1 (1.28 ERA) during his two-month stint in Houston. Craig Biggio swipes his 50th to become only the second big leaguer to record 50 doubles and 50 steals in one season. Biggio would also set a team record with 210 hits.
09/23 1986 Jim Deshaies sets a modern major league mark by striking out the first eight Dodgers en route to a 4-0 shutout. Tommy Lasorda tries to spoil the fun by sending up pinch-hitter Larry See instead of the pitcher for the ninth out. See pops up. Deshaies finishes with a two-hitter and ten strikeouts .
09/23 1976 The end of an era. Judge Roy Hofheinz agrees to sell most of his Astrodomain, including his shares of the HSA and the Astros, to Ford Motor Credit and General Electric Credit. Spending on the ballclub is held in check until new ownership is found three years later.
09/23 1972 Don Wilson scatters four hits while Lee May gets just as many by himself. Houston tops the first-place Reds, 7-1. The Astros still stand in second place, 8-1/2 games behind Cincinnati, but can celebrate the first winning season in franchise history.
09/24 2019 Gerrit Cole tosses seven innings of two-hit shutout ball while fanning 14 Mariners to set a new franchise record with 314 strikeouts during a 3-0 whitewash in Seattle. Cole posts his 19th win and has been 15-0 since May. Alex Bregman smacks his 40th homer, becoming the first Houston batter to reach that milestone since 2006 when Lance Berkman hit 45 homers.
09/24 2003 Jose Vizcaino slaps a pinch-hit two-run single in the seventh to nip the Giants, 2-1. Billy Wagner sets a club record with his 44th save. The win moves the Astros within a half-game of division-leading Chicago but they split a four-game series with Milwaukee and miss the playoffs after leading the N.L. Central for most of the season.
09/24 1999 Bill Spiers is attacked by a Milwaukee "fan" prior to the bottom of the seventh inning. Mike Hampton and others come to Spiers' defense. The stunned Astros fall behind, 4-2, but rally for a 9-4 victory.
09/24 1986 Nolan Ryan follows Jim Deshaies' previous two-hitter with six innings of no-hit ball against the Giants before Mike Aldrete singles to break up the bid. Charley Kerfeld surrenders a hit in the ninth as the pair combine for a two-hit, 6-0 whitewash that clinches a tie for the N.L. West pennant. Glenn Davis belts his 30th home run of the season, the first Astro to hit that many since Jim Wynn in 1969.
09/24 1971 Gary Ross of the Padres balks home Jesus Alou in the 21st inning as Houston outlasts San Diego, 2-1. But wait. That's just the opener of the scheduled twinbill. After the 5-1/2-hour first game, the California fog rolls in before the second game ends. The Padres win the "nightcap", 5-4 in the ninth when Ollie Brown, batting after a 14-minute fog delay, sends a shot to right that Jim Wynn can't find in the mist.
09/25 1997 Astros clinch their first N.L. Central title with a 9-1 triumph over the Cubs . Brad Ausmus opens up a tight 2-1 duel with a three-run bomb off Jeremi Gonzalez in the seventh that starts a six-run uprising . Mike Hampton allows just four hits for his 15th win.
09/25 1996 Mike Simms drives in the winning run with a single in the tenth to upend the Mets, 5-4. John Hudek gets the win. The victory snaps a nine-game losing skid that pushes Houston out of the N.L. Central race.
09/25 1986 In the signature game in franchise history, Mike Scott no-hits the Giants as the Astros clinch the N.L. West crown . Scott fans 13 in the 2-0 victory. The win cements Scott's hold on the first Cy Young Award in team annals. Denny Walling breaks the scoreless game with a solo homer off Juan Berenguer in the fifth.
09/25 1984 Phil Garner goes 4-for-5 to pace a 12-6 win at Dodger Stadium. Houston pounds Orel Hershiser for five runs in the second but Los Angeles gets to Joe Niekro for six runs in the bottom of the frame. No problem. The Astros tally four more times the next inning and then it rains. Niekro staggers to his 16th win while Jose Cruz and Alan Ashby go deep.
09/25 1979 J.R. Richard tops the 300-strikeout barrier for the second straight year, fanning 13 during a four-hit, 8-0 blanking of Atlanta . He would add eleven more four days later against the Dodgers to close with a team record of 313 for the season.
09/26 2004 Backup catcher Raul Chavez drives in five as Houston outslugs Milwaukee, 11-7. Morgan Ensberg adds four hits. Jeff Kent and Lance Berkman go deep. The Astros are 1-1/2 games behind the Cubs in the hunt for the final playoff berth.
09/26 1990 Franklin Stubbs drives in six as the Astros blast the Dodgers, 10-1. Jim Deshaies hurls a four-hitter. Stubbs clubs his 22nd homer, a three-run shot, to break open a game that saw six Astros score after reaching base on walks.
09/26 1981 Nolan Ryan becomes the only player in baseball history to pitch five no-hitters, blanking the Dodgers, 5-0, before a national television audience . Ryan whiffs eleven and walks three in the masterpiece. Nolan's gem matters even more since the Astros are nursing a slim lead over Cincinnati in the N.L. West split-season race.
09/26 1980 Vern Ruhle tosses a four-hitter to blank Cincinnati, 2-0. Houston moves two games ahead of Los Angeles in the tight pennant race. The Astros manage just three hits themselves but an RBI single by Jose Cruz and a sacrifice fly by Craig Reynolds are enough.
09/26 1978 Joe Niekro outduels his brother Phil in a 2-0 whitewash of the Braves and denies Phil a 20-win season. Joe allows seven hits then gives way to Ken Forsch in the ninth. Jose Cruz and Julio Gonzalez drive in the game's only runs.
09/27 1998 Carl Everett triples off Rod Beck in the 11th inning and scores on a sacrifice fly by Richard Hidalgo to drop the Cubs, 4-3. It ends a 102-60 regular season for the Astros (a .629 percentage), which stood as a club record for 20 years.
09/27 1992 Shane Reynolds gets his first big league victory in a 4-2 triumph in Los Angeles. Reynolds contributes a double and scores a run. Andujar Cedeno drives in a pair to key the offense.
09/27 1967 Mike Cuellar defeats Philadelphia's Jim Bunning in a 1-0 duel that lasts eleven innings. Chuck Harrison plates Rusty Staub with the game-winner. Cuellar fans a dozen and allows just six hits while becoming the first 16-game winner in franchise history.
09/27 1964 In the last game played at Colt Stadium, Jim Wynn singles home Rusty Staub for a 1-0, 12-inning triumph over Los Angeles . Bob Bruce is masterful, scattering five hits in the complete game victory. Bruce becomes the first 15-game winner in franchise history.
09/27 1963 The fledgling Colts field an all-rookie lineup for a late-season duel with New York. Starting are outfielders Brock Davis, Aaron Pointer and Jim Wynn, infielders Rusty Staub, Joe Morgan, Sonny Jackson and Glenn Vaughan, catcher Jerry Grote and 17-year-old pitcher Jay Dahl. Despite four future All-Stars, the Mets prevail, 10-3.
09/28 2019 Justin Verlander fans 12 in a 6-3 victory over the Angels to reach 300 strikeouts for the season and become the 18th major leaguer to strike out 3000 hitters in his career. The win is his 21st of the season. The next day, Gerrit Cole finishes the regular season with his 20th victory in an 8-5 triumph to post a team-record 107 wins. Cole wins the ERA title (2.50) and wins the strikeout title with 326.
09/28 2014 Jose Altuve spanks a double and single in an 8-3 loss to the Mets to finish with 225 hits, smashing Craig Biggio's club record. Altuve's .341 batting average wins the American League title. Houston finishes 70-92, their best record since 2010 and their first without 100 losses in four years.
09/28 2006 Roy Oswalt endures a three-hour rain delay to blank the Pirates, 3-0, for Houston's ninth straight win. The late-season rally brings the Astros, 8-1/2 games behind the Cardinals just two weeks before, within a half-game of the Central leaders. Houston would lose two of three in Atlanta and wind up 1-1/2 games out at 82-80 for the season. Oswalt wins the league ERA title at 2.98. Lance Berkman would single on the last day to set a new team RBI record at 136.
09/28 1990 A two-run triple in the bottom of the tenth by Casey Candaele stuns the Braves, 2-1, after Atlanta had just scored to take the lead. Danny Darwin hurls seven shutout innings to reduce his ERA to 2.21, earning him the league title.
09/28 1978 J.R. Richard becomes the first righthander in league history to reach 300 strikeouts during a 4-3 victory over Atlanta. He whiffs six to tally 303 for the season . J.R. also belts a homer off Larry McWilliams in the third. A double by Reggie Baldwin and a single by Rafael Landestoy in the seventh key the winning rally.
09/29 2013 The Astros conclude the worst season in their history with a 5-1, 14-inning loss to the Yankees that completes a team-record 15-game losing streak and a 51-111 season, their first as an American League entry.
09/29 1999 Daryle Ward blasts a two-run homer and Mike Hampton picks up his 21st win in a 4-1 triumph over Cincinnati. Billy Wagner turns a liner into a double play for the final outs. . It moves Houston back into a tie with the Reds for the division lead with three games to play.
09/29 1998 Kevin Brown fans 16 Astros in eight innings as he outduels Randy Johnson in Game One of the N.L.D.S. Greg Vaughn's solo homer puts the Padres up by two. Bill Spiers doubles off Trevor Hoffman in the ninth and scores on a Ken Caminiti error . but Carl Everett flies to center for the final out. Houston loses, 2-1.
09/29 1973 Hank Aaron hammers his 713th career homer, one shy of Babe Ruth's record. It's a three-run shot off Jerry Reuss, part of a 7-0 Atlanta decision . The next day, Dave Roberts and Don Wilson hold Aaron to three singles and the season ends with a 5-3 Astros win in the last game of manager Leo Durocher's career.
09/29 1963 John Paciorek has a career day. An 18-year-old late-season call-up by the Colts, Paciorek goes 3-for-3, with four runs scored and three RBIs to pace a 13-4 spanking of the Mets. It turns out to be his only big league game, retiring with a 1.000 batting average. It's also the last appearance for Jim Umbricht who gets the victory.
09/30 2020 Two RBI singles from Kyle Tucker and a solo homer from Carlos Correa pace the Astros to a 3-1 victory in Minnesota, sweeping the Twins in the best-of-three Wild Card round to advance to the A.L.D.S. The day before, Houston scored three in the ninth to take a 4-1 win in the opener. The sub-.500 club (29-31) moves on to face division rival Oakland.
09/30 2007 Amidst standing ovations, hugs and tributes, Craig Biggio closes out his 20-year career in a 3-0 shutout of Atlanta. His first inning double is the 3,060th hit of his career, making him 20th on the all-time list. It's also the 668th two-bagger, finishing fifth all time. It keys a three-run first which is all Felipe Paulino and three relievers need to finish the season at 73-89. A Minute Maid Park record crowd of 43,823 attend.
09/30 2000 Jeff Bagwell goes deep off Everett Stull for his 47th home run of the year, besting his own club record. The Astros hold on to nip the Brewers, 7-6. Keith Ginter and Lance Berkman also homer.
09/30 1979 Joe Niekro becomes the first 21-game winner in club history with a 3-2 triumph over the Dodgers. An eighth-inning sacrifice fly by Danny Heep plates the game-winner. The Astros finish with a best-to-date 89 wins but fall 1-1/2 games short of Cincinnati for the N.L. West title.
09/30 1969 Tommy Davis and Norm Miller homer in a 6-3 triumph at Dodger Stadium. Denny Lemaster goes the distance and strikes out eleven while scattering four hits . The Astros reach 81 wins and, for the first time in their history, experience a non-losing season.
09/30 1966 20-year-old Larry Dierker takes a perfect game into the ninth inning against the Mets but he loses it all, 1-0. A double by Eddie Bressoud and an infield hit by Ron Hunt break up the gem.