What happened today in team history?
1947 – Nolan Ryan born
In Refugio, Texas, Astros legend and all time MLB great Nolan Ryan was born. Ryan, a Hall of Famer and all time leader in strikeouts and walks, spent nine years of his 27-year career in Houston. In those nine years, Ryan led the lead in ERA twice and tossed a no hitter on his way to Cooperstown. After retiring from baseball, he didn’t step away, instead becoming the President and CEO of the Texas Rangers for many years.
1961 – Houston gets to build a stadium
The voters in Houston approve of a financial bond to help the city build a domed stadium, attempting to complete the list of things needed to bring on an MLB franchise. The result would be the “eighth wonder of the world,” the Astrodome, and served as the ballpark for the Astros till 1999.
1965 – Watson gets signed
As an 18-year-old, infielder Bob Watson signs a contract with the Houston Astros. By the time he turned 25, he was an everyday player for the Astros, staying with the club 14-years before getting traded during the 1979 season. During those 14-years, Watson was a two-time All-Star and collected nearly 1500 hits.
1980 – Morgan returns for one last year
After getting his start with the Astros and spending nine-years in Houston, infielder Joe Morgan signs a one-year contract with the Astros, fulfilling a promise he made years ago after the Astros gave him his first chance in the big leagues.
2002 – Kalas wins the Frick Award
Former Astros broadcaster Harry Kalas was awarded the Ford C. Frick Award from the Hall of Fame, despite a petition made by fans to give the award to longtime Astro broadcaster Gene Elston. Kalas spent seven years as the Astros broadcaster before going to work for NFL films. In those seven years, he developed a catchphrase for the Astros, calling their homers “Astros Orbit”.
What else happened on this day?
1959
Future hall of famer Joe Cronin becomes the fifth president of the American League, succeeding former president Will Harridge.
2006
ESPN announced that their two channels, ESPN and ESPN 2, would broadcast the WBC games for the public, going all the way to the championship.