Houston Astros

The Houston Astros is a professional baseball team based in the city of Houston, Texas, in the American League. They began playing in 1962 and were initially known as the Houston Colt.45s. houston astros

During their early years, the Astros were a middle-of-the-pack team in the National League. They finished in the bottom three positions in their division in each of the first seven seasons. But after 1969, the Astros changed dramatically. As part of the expansion of baseball, the Astros became the second expansion team to win five league pennants. And they were the only team to win the postseason series in six straight years.

In 1999, the Astros were in the middle of a horrendous April. It seemed like no one was going to win games, so Astros management looked to Dave Smith to make it happen. This was the beginning of the Astros' ten-game winning streak. After a slow start, the Astros went 42-17 in July, including a seven-game win over the Texas Rangers.

However, the Astros did not win another playoff series after 1996. Although the Astros did play in the AL Championship Series, they were eliminated in the opening round in each of the next two seasons.

At that point, the Astros were preparing to move into a new ballpark. The Astrodome was a new, multi-purpose domed stadium. It was named for its significance as the center of the nation's space program. There were many firsts for the new venue, and the stadium was coined "Eighth Wonder of the World."

During their first season in the new ballpark, the Astros won 103 games and earned their first World Series title. Their pitching staff included Ezequiel Astacio and Roy Oswalt. Among the Astros' infield tandem were Jeff Bagwell and Craig Biggio, nicknamed "the Killer B's".

In the spring of 2000, the Astros had an unusual situation. The team's owner, Drayton McLane, wanted to move the team to a new stadium. He pushed for a stadium referendum. Unfortunately, the Astrodome's creditors were interested in preserving the value of the ballpark, not the team. Luckily, the voters agreed to a referendum.

The Astros were forced to play one game in the wild-card playoff before moving to their new home, the Astrodome. It was the first major league stadium to feature a retractable roof. Since then, the Astros have dominated the AL West.

Until the Astros moved to the AL West in 2013, the Astros played in the NL Central. After 2013, the Astros began their tenure in the AL West, and have won the American League pennant every year. By 2022, the Astros will have won five league pennants and a World Series.

Today, the Astros dominate the AL West, and their roster is loaded with talent. Some of the players on the Astros roster include Carlos Correa, Ryan Madson, Enos Cabell, and Jose Altuve. On the MLB side, the Astros have signed Nolan Ryan, Kazuo Matsui, and Carlos Lee.