Houston Astros Tickets

Houston Astros information, The Houston Colt .45s came into the National League in 1960. It was not until 1965 that the team changed its official name to the Houston Astros; this same year, the team began play in its new stadium, the Astrodome. The Astros had impressive hitting in the 1960's with players such as Joe Morgan and Jimmy Wynn, as well as good pitchers such as Bob Bruce and Ken Johnson. 1975 was tainted by the tragic suicide of pitcher Don Wilson, who had pitched two no-hitters for the team. His jersey was retired out of respect for his contribution to the game. In 1980, the Astros won their first NL West championship and went on to win the Divisional Series against the Dodgers. The team accomplished this feat not by power, but by pitching and speed. JosÈ Cruz, Sr., Nolan Ryan, and Joe Niekro played huge parts in the team's success.

The 1981 Astros defended the NL West Championship, although the season was shortened by the strike, thanks in large part to free agent acquisition Don Sutton. In 1985, Mike Scott was awarded the Cy Young Award. That same year, the ëStros fell to the Mets in a very dramatic NLCS. The rebuilding period between 1987 and 1993 brought rookie Craig Biggio to the team in 1989. Trading for Jeff Bagwell in 1990 is considered by Astros fans to be one of the best trades in franchise history. Shortly after Drayton McLane took over ownership of the team in 1993, the Astros won consecutive division titles in '97, '98, and '99, only to be eliminated in the first round of the playoffs each season. In 2000, Houston moved to a new stadium with a retractable roof, formerly known as Enron Field. It was later renamed to Minute Maid Park after the Enron scandal and is known to be a great hitter's park.

In 2004, with the help of Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte, Lance Berkman, and Jeff Kent, the media was quick to predict that the Astros would win the National League. However, they were stopped by St. Louis in the NLCS. With the play of phenom Roy Oswalt in 2005, the Astros ousted the Cardinals in a rematch of the previous year's NLCS to win the NL pennant. They faced the Chicago White Sox, and were swept by them. The Astros are looking ahead with the signing of players such as Preston Wilson and the acquisition of Aubrey Huff.