Lance Berkman - Timeline

Astros Trades & Transactions

Jun 3, 1997:	1. Drafted Lance Berkman(IF) (#16 pick overall) in 1997 Summer Draft
Jul 31, 2010:	Traded Lance Berkman (IF) and cash to NY-A for Mark Melancon (P) and Jimmy Paredes (IF)

This Date in Astros History

Feb 10, 1976:	Lance Berkman is born in Waco, TX. The Rice grad has been a major power source with the Astros, leading the league in RBIs in 2002. In nine seasons (1999-2007), he has batted .300 while powering 259 home runs and driving in 855 runs. He has hit .321 with six homers in postseason play.
Jul 31, 1999:	Jeff Bagwell and rookie Lance Berkman swat two home runs apiece as the Astros club the Padres, 8-5. Berkman has three hits and steals a base. Derek Bell accounts for the other two runs with a double. Doug Henry gets the win in relief.
Aug 29, 1999:	Craig Biggio goes 4-for-5 with a homer and scores four times to lead a 10-4 drubbing of Florida. Daryle Ward, Lance Berkman and Ken Caminiti also leave the yard. Tony Eusebio adds three hits including two doubles. Mike Hampton wins his 17th.
May 28, 2000:	Lance Berkman and Ken Caminiti go deep off Rudy Seanez in the bottom of the eighth to shock the Braves, 4-3. Marc Valdes is the surprise winner in relief. The blasts ruin a fine effort by Kevin Millwood that comes eight months too late for Astros fans.
Jul 9, 2000:	Jose Lima snaps a personal 13-game losing streak with a 9-6 victory over Kansas City. Lance Berkman powers two homers and drives in four while Bill Spiers spanks two doubles and a triple. Moises Alou also goes deep.
Jul 23, 2000:	Bill Spiers drills two home runs and drives in six for a 15-7 triumph over St. Louis at Enron Field. His seventh-inning grand slam off Heathcliff Slocumb during a six-run frame puts this one out of reach. Lance Berkman also goes deep twice. Andy Benes is tagged for four Houston homers in the second inning - two-run shots by Spiers and Jeff Bagwell followed by solo blasts from Berkman and Richard Hidalgo.
Aug 11, 2000:	Houston snaps a 2-2 tie with five runs in the ninth to flog the Phillies, 7-2, at Veterans Stadium. Lance Berkman doubles twice and drives in four. Moises Alou adds three hits, including a homer.
Aug 16, 2000:	Six different Astros belt home runs and they'll need all of them to outlast Pittsburgh, 11-10. Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, Chris Truby, Moises Alou, Tim Bogar and Julio Lugo play long ball to build an 11-2 lead but no lead is safe at Enron Field. The Bucs storm back with eight runs in the last two frames before Octavio Dotel can coax the final out.
Sep 9, 2000:	Astros belt a club record seven home runs in a 14-4 bombfest at Wrigley Field. Tim Bogar, Richard Hidalgo and Lance Berkman each homer twice while Daryle Ward adds a solo shot. Bogar has a career day with four hits and five RBIs to drum the Cubs. Somehow, Jeff Bagwell misses the home run derby but he scores three times.
Sep 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.
May 2, 2001:	Lance Berkman and Moises Alou slug back-to-back home runs in the tenth inning then hold on to nip the Mets, 6-5. Solo shots are the order of the day as Alou, Craig Biggio and Daryle Ward go yard in the eighth inning as well. Carlos Alfonso and Jay Payton play long ball for New York.
Jun 18, 2001:	Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman drive in four runs apiece to drum the Rockies, 13-5. Tony Eusebio adds a double and a homer. Colorado manages to outhit Houston, 14-12, and still lose by eight.
Jun 21, 2001:	In Enron Field fashion, the Astros belt five home runs and lose to the Reds, 8-7, in eleven innings. Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell and Richard Hidalgo go deep in a four-run first. Lance Berkman adds four hits and two homers. Cincinnati smacks four long balls of their own but mere singles produce the game-winner.
Jul 5, 2001:	Roy Oswalt finds a groove, striking out eight in a 5-1 victory over Arizona at Enron Field. Lance Berkman, Vinny Castilla and Craig Biggio support him with home runs. The rookie righthander runs his record to 7-1 and shrinks his ERA to 2.26.
Jul 7, 2001:	Jeff Bagwell ties a club record with seven RBIs in a 10-8 slugfest in Kansas City. His day starts with a three-run shot off Paul Byrd and finishes with a two-run double in the eighth to give the Astros breathing room. Lance Berkman strokes four safeties to run his hitting streak to 20 games.
Jul 8, 2001:	Scott Elarton is ejected after he hits the first batter and misses a 14-5 thrashing by the Astros in Kansas City. After Craig Biggio and Julio Lugo are plunked to start the game, umpires warn both teams. After Elarton hits Rey Sanchez with his fifth pitch of the day, he and skipper Larry Dierker get the thumb. Jeff Bagwell and Mendy Lopez bash three-run homers in the game. Lance Berkman (.365) and Moises Alou (.362) take the league's top two batting averages into the All-Star break.
Aug 12, 2001:	Homers from Lance Berkman, Jeff Bagwell, Daryle Ward and Vinny Castilla pace a 10-5 clubbing of Florida. Dave Mlicki allows three long balls but still coasts to the win. Houston moves within 1/2 game of division-leading Chicago.
Oct 5, 2001:	With their season in turmoil, Lance Berkman delivers twice in a crucial 2-1 triumph in St. Louis, clinching a tie for a playoff spot. Berkman homers off Jeff Tabaka in the eighth to tie it then doubles home Craig Biggio in the ninth for the game-winner.
Mar 29, 2002:	Lance Berkman drills two home runs and Roy Oswalt scatters seven hits as Houston tops the Boston Red Sox, 5-1, in an exhibition at the newly-renamed Astros Field. Scrubbed are virtually all signs of Enron, whose naming-rights deal for the ballpark fell into bankruptcy court. The win is also a little sweeter for manager Jimy Williams who was fired by the Sox midway through the 2001 season.
Apr 8, 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.
Apr 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.
Jun 20, 2002:	Lance Berkman's grand slam highlights a seven-run fourth as Houston blows past the Brewers, 9-3. Berkman's five RBIs give him 62 on the season to lead the league. Wade Miller gets the victory.
Jun 27, 2002:	Pinch-hitter Gregg Zaun blasts a grand slam in the bottom of the ninth off Byung-Hyun Kim to stun the Diamondbacks, 7-4. Octavio Dotel is the surprise winner. Lance Berkman and Brad Ausmus also go deep.
Jul 6, 2002:	Daryle Ward becomes the first player to smash a home run into the Allegheny River as Houston bombs the Pirates, 10-2, at PNC Park. It's a grand slam too. Lance Berkman and Jeff Bagwell tag back-to-back shots. Nelson Cruz wins with six shutout innings.
Sep 8, 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.
Sep 21, 2002:	Wade Miller scatters six hits and contributes a two-run double to upend the Cardinals, 6-3. Lance Berkman swats his 42nd homer of the season for the game-winner, raising his RBI total to 128 for the season.
Mar 16, 2003:	As America prepares for a second war with Iraq, opinions are strong on both sides. After the lead singer of the country music group "The Dixie Chicks" causes an uproar by saying on stage that she's embarrassed that President George W. Bush is from Texas, Lance Berkman, another native Texan, says he's embarrassed for her and suggests she move to Oklahoma.
May 1, 2003:	An emotional day in Houston ends with an 8-7 loss to the Braves. The Astros had earlier released starting shortstop Julio Lugo after his arrest on domestic violence charges the night before. Shane Reynolds, in his first Houston appearance since his sudden spring release, gives up five runs in five innings for Atlanta but Houston wastes a six-RBI performance by Lance Berkman when Mark DeRosa slams a two-run shot off Billy Wagner in the ninth. Expected to challenge for the division crown, the freefalling Astros drop their 14th game in their last 18.
Jun 7, 2003:	Richard Hidalgo comes off the disabled list to smack the game-winning homer as Houston edges Tampa Bay, 5-4, for their sixth straight win. It was Hidalgo's third hit of the night after being hospitalized with a fever from tonsilitis. Lance Berkman's three-run blast, a ballpark-record 464-foot shot, stakes the Astros to the early lead. Billy Wagner saves his 199th game as an Astro, tying Dave Smith for the franchise record.
Jun 11, 2003:	Houston fans moan when starter Roy Oswalt leaves the game in the second inning with a pulled groin, but they rejoice when the bullpen comes through in a record-setting way. Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner combine to no-hit the New York Yankees, 8-0. It's the first time in big league history that a no-no is shared by six pitchers. They walk three Bronx Bombers, striking out 13, while accomplishing the first no-hitter against the Yankees since 1958 and the first opposition no-hitter at Yankee Stadium since 1952. Lidge gets credit for the win. Dotel ties a record with a four-strikeout inning. Lance Berkman's mammoth two-run blast off Jeff Weaver highlights the offense.
Jun 27, 2003:	Infielder Dave Matranga homers in his first big league at bat as part of a four-homer assault, but it isn't enough as the Texas Rangers stop the Astros, 10-7, at Minute Maid Park. Lance Berkman, Morgan Ensberg and Jeff Bagwell also go yard but the bullpen isn't up to the task of replacing rookie starter Rodrigo Rosario after he leaves with a shoulder strain in the second inning.
Jul 19, 2003:	Lance Berkman, Richard Hidalgo and Morgan Ensberg spank back-to-back-to-back home runs off Jimmy Haynes in Cincinnati then hold on for a 9-8 triumph. Berkman has two homers and five RBIs. Ron Villone watches a 9-1 lead evaporate in the final two innings before Octavio Dotel fans the final two batters for the save.
Aug 19, 2003:	Jeff Kent smashes a home run and drives in six to pace a 12-8 slugfest over the Chicago Cubs in Houston. His shot off Matt Clement snaps a 5-5 tie. Lance Berkman also delivers three hits. The victory keeps Houston a game in front of St. Louis for the division lead while the Cubs lurk just 1-1/2 games behind.
Jul 13, 2004:	Houston hosts the All-Star Game for the third time. Four Astros are named to the National League team and three start but the American League leaves with a 9-4 victory, buoyed by a six-run first inning off Roger Clemens. Jeff Kent and Carlos Beltran single before the Minute Maid Park crowd while Lance Berkman mans center field. Local fans boo manager Jimy Williams when he is introduced. It will be the last time as he and two coaches are fired the next day. Former Astro infielder Phil Garner is named interim manager.
Aug 19, 2004:	First the Astros turn a triple play then turn around a huge deficit in a 12-10 triumph in Philadelphia. The trifecta goes 5-4-3 off the bat of Todd Pratt in the fifth with Morgan Ensberg touching third, tossing to Jeff Kent at second for the force and Kent relaying to Mike Lamb at first to end the inning. But the Phils led 7-2. Next came a three-homer Houston assault in the seventh with Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman launching two-run shots before Eric Bruntlett topped them with a three-run blast for a 10-7 lead. A two-run double from Kent is needed to survive the final rally, giving Chad Qualls his first major league win. Lamb also steals home.
Aug 27, 2004:	Carlos Beltran's two home runs lead a five-dinger barrage as Houston clubs the Cubs, 15-7. Jeff Bagwell, Jeff Kent and Lance Berkman also supply the long ball. Roy Oswalt wins his 15th despite harassment from Chicago's Michael Barrett who is still upset over being hit by Oswalt the previous weekend in Houston. Oswalt is plunked by Kent Mercker but nobody is tossed despite the war of words.
Aug 31, 2004:	Given up for dead, the Astros win their fifth straight to creep back within three games of the National League wild card lead. The home run bats go to work in an 8-0 triumph as Jeff Kent goes deep twice while Carlos Beltran, Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman go back-to-back-to-back in the fourth off Aaron Harang. Brandon Backe gets the shutout with help from three relievers. Houston still needs to overtake four other teams in order to get back to the postseason.
Sep 3, 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.
Sep 8, 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.
Sep 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.
Sep 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.
Oct 13, 2004:	A six-run sixth inning puts the Cardinals out of reach as they outslug the Astros, 10-7, in Game One of the N.L.C.S. in St. Louis. Brandon Backe and Chad Qualls are torched by the league's most potent offense, despite receiving home run support from Carlos Beltran, Lance Berkman, Jeff Kent and Mike Lamb.
Oct 16, 2004:	Roger Clemens cools off the Cardinal bats with seven innings of four-hit ball as the Astros win Game Three of the N.L.C.S., 5-2. Jeff Kent homers in the opening frame and Houston nurses a 3-2 advantage until Carlos Beltran and Lance Berkman drill solo shots to give the bullpen some breathing room. St. Louis still leads the best-of-seven series, 2-1.
Oct 17, 2004:	Carlos Beltran homers off Julian Tavarez in the seventh to give the Astros a 6-5 triumph in Game Four of the N.L.C.S., evening the series at 2-2. It is Beltran's seventh straight postseason game with a home run, setting a new record. It's also his eighth in this postseason to tie him with Barry Bonds for that mark. Houston tied it the inning before on a solo shot by Lance Berkman and a run-scoring single by Raul Chavez. Dan Wheeler and Brad Lidge silence the Redbirds after Roy Oswalt pitched the first six innings.
Nov 5, 2004:	Off-seasons can be hazardous to your health, part two. Lance Berkman tears the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing flag football at a church outing. He misses the first six weeks of the 2005 season but rebounds with 24 homers and 82 RBIs to anchor the Astros lineup.
Mar 19, 2005:	Lance Berkman is signed to a six-year contract worth $85 million dollars. Eligible for free agency after the season, Berkman had set a deadline to be re-signed by Opening Day. Berkman is glad to be under contract for the rest of the decade.
Jul 25, 2005:	Craig Biggio and Lance Berkman set a franchise first by blasting back-to-back homers twice in the same game. It happens in the first and third innings against Cory Lidle during a 7-1 victory over Philadelphia. Jason Lane later blasts the fifth Houston homer. Andy Pettitte works seven solid innings for the win.
Sep 7, 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.
Oct 9, 2005:	In the longest game in postseason history, Chris Burke's solo homer off Joey Devine in the bottom of the 18th gives the Astros a 7-6 victory over the Braves, winning the N.L.D.S., three games to one. Trailing 6-1 in the eighth, Lance Berkman puts Houston back in it with a grand slam homer off Kyle Farnsworth. With two outs in the ninth, Brad Ausmus blasts a solo home run off Farnsworth to left center than just clears the yellow line and just eludes the reach of Andruw Jones. The belt ties the game at six apiece. After the bullpen is spent, Roger Clemens enters in the 15th and gets the victory. Burke had hit just five homers all season.
Oct 17, 2005:	Houston is ready to explode, one out away from the World Series but Albert Pujols slams a three-run homer in the ninth off Brad Lidge to stun the Astros, 5-4. Houston wastes a three-run shot by Lance Berkman that could have made history. They still lead the Cardinals in the N.L.C.S., three games to two and, like last year, will need to win one more back in St. Louis to advance.
Oct 22, 2005:	In the first World Series game of their 43-year history, 43-year-old Roger Clemens starts for the Astros but lasts only two innings in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox. Clemens' hamstring tightens in the 50-degree weather. Mike Lamb homers and Lance Berkman spanks a two-run double to highlight the Houston attack. Jermaine Dye and Joe Crede go deep for the Sox. On two occassions, speedy Willy Taveras leads off an inning with an extra-base hit but the heart of the Astros lineup cannot drive him in.
Apr 5, 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.
Jul 26, 2006:	Craig Biggio smacks the 50th leadoff homer of his career in an 8-5 victory over the Reds. Lance Berkman goes deep twice and drives in four. Berkman's 91 RBIs lead the league. However, the floundering Astros sit five games under .500, five games out of the wild card race and with five teams in between Houston and Cincinnati.
Aug 27, 2006:	Willy Taveras becomes the first Astro to achieve a 30-game hitting streak with a leadoff single that begins a 13-1 bombing at Pittsburgh. Taveras bats .349 during the streak, raising his average to .284. Lance Berkman drives in four while Jason Hirsh gets his second big league win. Taveras' run ends two nights later.