102-528: Mark David Melancon ( / m ə ˈ l æ n s ə n / mə- LAN -sən ; born March 28, 1985) is an American former professional baseball pitcher . He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees , Houston Astros , Boston Red Sox , Pittsburgh Pirates , Washington Nationals , San Francisco Giants , Atlanta Braves , San Diego Padres , and Arizona Diamondbacks . Melancon
204-707: A sign stealing scandal . They made later World Series appearances in 2019 against the Washington Nationals , 2021 against the Atlanta Braves , and 2022 against the Philadelphia Phillies , winning their second title in the latter series. Often cited as the best team in the American League, the team's sustained success since 2015 has led some to declare the Astros a dynasty. They are the only team to win
306-722: A 2.78 ERA over 23 games. On February 18, 2021, Melancon signed a one-year contract worth $ 2 million with the San Diego Padres . He was named the Reliever of the Month in the National League for April 2021. He finished the 2021 season with an MLB-leading 39 saves in 45 opportunities. On December 1, 2021, Melancon signed a two-year $ 14 million contract with a 2024 mutual option with the Arizona Diamondbacks . He made 62 appearances for
408-622: A 3.86 ERA during his time in the Majors in 2009. Although he was not on the 25-man active roster for the postseason, he got his first World Series ring as the Yankees won the World Series over the Phillies. Melancon started the 2010 season in the minors and made 2 appearances in the Majors accumulating an ERA of 9.00 in 2 relief appearances with the Yankees. Melancon was traded along with Jimmy Paredes to
510-486: A 66–96 record. The team was still building, trying to find that perfect mix to compete. The 1964 campaign began on a sad note, as relief pitcher Jim Umbricht died of cancer at the age of 33 on April 8, just before Opening Day . Umbricht was the only Colt .45s pitcher to post a winning record in Houston's first two seasons. He was so well liked by players and fans that the team retired his jersey number, 32, in 1965. Just on
612-502: A 7.2 K/9, his lowest since first appearing in the majors for the Yankees in 2009. In 2019 for the Giants, Melancon went 4–2 with one save and a 3.50 ERA over 43 appearances. On July 31, 2019, the Giants traded Melancon to the Atlanta Braves for Tristan Beck and Dan Winkler . In 2019 for the Braves, he was 1–0 with 11 saves and a 3.86 ERA over 23 games. In 2020, he was 2–1 with 11 saves and
714-500: A National on August 7 against the San Francisco Giants . On December 5, 2016, the San Francisco Giants and Melancon agreed to a four-year, $ 62 million contract. Melancon began his tenure with the Giants by blowing a save opportunity on Opening Day 2017 after Madison Bumgarner had pitched well and hit two home runs in the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks . Melancon pitched the ninth inning and allowed two runs with
816-555: A black player's head. Now, however, baseball is fully integrated, and there is little to no racial tension between teammates. Between 1943 and 1954, the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League fielded teams in several Midwestern towns. Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston . The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as
918-479: A boost from pitcher Ken Forsch , who threw a no-hitter against the Braves the second game of the season. In May 1979, New Jersey shipping tycoon John McMullen had agreed to buy the Astros. Now with an investor in charge, the Astros would be more likely to compete in the free-agent market. The Astros were playing great baseball throughout the season. José Cruz and Enos Cabell both stole 30 bases. Joe Niekro had
1020-483: A color commentator until he retired from broadcasting in 1976. Elston continued with the Astros until 1986. The Colt .45s began their existence playing at Colt Stadium , a temporary venue built just north of the construction site of their permanent home, a domed stadium. Hofheinz and his partners believed a domed stadium was a must for MLB to be viable in Houston, given the area's oppressive humidity. The Colt .45s started their inaugural season on April 10, 1962, against
1122-476: A free agent. On October 8, 2024, Melancon was announced as the new pitching development coordinator for San Diego State . Melancon and his wife, Mary Catherine, had three children as of 2016. Melancon owns a turf installation company based in Sarasota, Florida . Professional baseball Professional baseball is organized baseball in which players are selected for their talents and are paid to play for
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#17328372789601224-399: A great year with 21 wins and 3.00 ERA. J. R. Richard won 18 games and set a new personal strikeout record at 313. Joe Sambito came into his own with 22 saves as the Astros closer. Things were going as they should for a team that could win the west. The Astros and Reds battled the final month of the season. The Reds pulled ahead of the Astros by a game and a half. Later that month they split
1326-789: A member club of the American League (AL) West Division , having moved to the division in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the National League (NL). They are one of two major league clubs based in Texas; the Texas Rangers belong to the same division. Established as the Houston Colt .45s , the Astros entered the National League as an expansion team in 1962 along with the New York Mets . The current name, reflecting Houston's role as
1428-436: A new pitch, the split-finger fastball. Scott, who was coming off of a 5–11 season, had found his new pitch and would become one of Houston's most celebrated hurlers. In June, Davis made the starting lineup at first base, adding power to the team. In September, Joe Niekro was traded to the Yankees for two minor league pitchers and lefty Jim Deshaies . The Astros finished in fourth place in 1985. After finishing fourth in 1985,
1530-526: A no-hitter on June 18. Wynn also provided some enthusiasm in 1967. The 5 ft 9 in Wynn was becoming known not only for how often he hit home runs, but also for how far he hit them. Wynn set club records with 37 home runs, and 107 RBIs. It was also in 1967 that Wynn hit his famous home run onto Interstate 75 in Cincinnati . As the season came to a close, the Astros found themselves again in ninth place and with
1632-518: A pair and the Reds kept the lead. The Astros finished with their best record to that point at 89–73 and 1 + 1 ⁄ 2 games behind the NL winner Reds. With Dr. McMullen as sole owner of the Astros, the team would now benefit in ways a corporation could not give them. The rumors of the Astros moving out of Houston started to crumble and the Astros were now able to compete in the free-agent market. McMullen showed
1734-521: A postseason series in seven straight seasons. Their fifth pennant in 2022 made them the second team created in the expansion era to win five league pennants (after the Mets) and the fifth expansion team to have won two World Series championships. In 2024, the Astros clinched their AL West division title for the seventh time in eight years and became the first team to win the AL West division in four straight years since
1836-601: A prominent oilman and real estate magnate in Houston who like Cullinan was brought in for his financial resources, and Judge Roy Hofheinz , a former Mayor of Houston and Harris County Judge who was recruited for his salesmanship and political style. They founded the Houston Sports Association (HSA) as their vehicle for attaining a big league franchise for the city of Houston. Given MLB's refusal to consider expansion, Kirksey, Cullinan, Smith, and Hofheinz joined forces with would-be owners from other cities and announced
1938-567: A run in the first inning, then held the Astros at bay until the sixth inning. An Astros lead was lost when Bob Boone hit a two-out single in the second, but the Astros tied the game in the sixth with an Alan Ashby single scoring Denny Walling . Houston took a 5–2 lead in the seventh; however, the Phillies came back with five runs in the inning. The Astros came back against Tug McGraw with four singles and two two-out runs. Now in extra innings, Garry Maddox doubled in Del Unser with one out to give
2040-562: A specific team or club system. It is played in leagues and associated farm teams throughout the world. Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada consists of the National League (founded in 1876) and the American League (founded in 1901). Historically, teams in one league never played teams in the other until the World Series , in which the champions of the two leagues played against each other. This changed in 1997 with
2142-546: A starter on the All-Star Team . The success did not last as they lost Jimmy Wynn for the season after he crashed into an outfield fence in Philadelphia and Morgan had broken his knee cap. The 1967 season saw first baseman Eddie Mathews join the Astros. The slugger hit his 500th home run while in Houston. He would be traded late in the season and Doug Rader would be promoted to the big leagues. Rookie Don Wilson pitched
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#17328372789602244-486: A winning percentage below .500. The team looked good on paper, but could not make it work on the field. April 15, 1968, saw a pitching duel for the ages. The Astros' Don Wilson and the Mets' Tom Seaver faced each other in a battle that lasted six hours. Seaver went ten innings, allowing no walks and just two hits. Wilson went nine innings, allowing five hits and three walks. After the starters exited, eleven relievers (seven for
2346-495: The 2013 National League Division Series , Melancon got his first career postseason win, but the Pirates lost the series to the St. Louis Cardinals in five games. Melancon avoided arbitration with the Pirates by signing a one-year contract worth $ 2.95 million for the 2014 season. He started the 2014 season as the Pirates setup reliever. He served as a closer for two weeks while Grilli was on
2448-515: The Astrodome , in 1965. The name honored Houston's position as the center of the nation's space program— NASA 's new Manned Spacecraft Center had recently opened southeast of the city. The Astrodome, called the "Eighth Wonder of the World", did little to improve the home team's results on the field. While several "indoor" firsts were accomplished, the team still finished ninth in the standings. The attendance
2550-490: The Cardinals was another big win. Cruz became a fixture in the Astros' outfield for several years and would eventually have his number 25 retired. Despite high expectations, 1975 was among the Astros' worst in franchise history. Their record of 64–97 was far worse than even the expansion Colt .45's and would remain the worst record in franchise history until 2011 . It was the worst record in baseball and manager Preston Gómez
2652-552: The Chicago Cubs with Harry Craft as the Colt .45s' manager. Bob Aspromonte scored the first run for the Colt .45s on an Al Spangler triple in the first inning. They started the season with a three-game sweep of the Cubs but eventually finished eighth among the National League's ten teams. The team's best pitcher, Richard "Turk" Farrell , lost 20 games despite an ERA of 3.02. A starter for
2754-541: The Chicago White Sox . After a major slump throughout the next decade, the team was purchased by business owner Jim Crane in 2011 for $ 680 million. Under Crane's ownership, the Astros embraced sabermetrics and pioneered new analytical technologies in their transition to the American League, and by the mid-2010s transformed from a historically middling franchise into one of MLB's most dominant and successful clubs, as headlined by stars such as Jose Altuve . Since then,
2856-622: The Class A-Short Season New York–Penn League in 2006. He missed the entire 2007 season after having Tommy John surgery in October 2006. In 2008, he pitched for three of the Yankees minor league affiliates: the Single-A Tampa Yankees , Double-A Trenton Thunder and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees , going 8–1 with a 2.27 ERA in 41 relief appearances, holding batters to a .202 batting average. Following
2958-721: The Commissioner of Baseball . Operating outside the Minor League Baseball organization are many independent minor leagues such as the Atlantic League , American Association , Frontier League , and the feeder league to these the Empire Professional Baseball League . Japan has had professional baseball since the 1930s. Nippon Professional Baseball consists of two leagues, the Central League and
3060-472: The Houston Astros for Lance Berkman on July 31, 2010. For the rest of 2010 with the Astros, Melancon went 2–0 with a 3.12 ERA in 20 relief appearances. Overall in 2010 combined with two teams, Melancon made 22 total appearances going 2–0 with a 4.22 ERA. In 2011, Melancon experienced more playing time in the Majors as he appeared in 71 games with an 8–4 record, 20 saves, and a 2.78 ERA. On April 14 against
3162-701: The Pacific League , each with six teams. South Korea has had professional baseball since 1982. There are 10 teams in KBO League . Taiwan has had professional baseball since the 1990s. The Chinese Professional Baseball League absorbed Taiwan Major League in 2003. There are currently 6 teams in the CPBL. Other Asian leagues include three now defunct leagues, the China National Baseball League , Israel Baseball League , and Baseball Philippines . During
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3264-461: The Pittsburgh Pirates for Brock Holt and Joel Hanrahan . Melancon began the 2013 season as a setup reliever, with Jason Grilli as the closer. He was selected as an All Star as a setup man in 2013, the first selection of his career. After Grilli went on the disabled list, Melancon was named the acting closer for the Pirates. Melancon had a 1.39 ERA, a 3–2 record, and 16 saves. In Game 3 of
3366-502: The San Diego Padres , he walked in his only plate appearance of the season (and of his career to date). Thus through the 2020 season he has a perfect 1.000 on-base percentage for his career. On December 14, 2011, Melancon was traded to the Boston Red Sox for infielder Jed Lowrie and starter Kyle Weiland . After only his first four appearances in 2012, where his ERA was 49.50, Melancon was optioned to Triple-A Pawtucket on April 18,
3468-527: The Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers (known as the Lone Star Series ), as well as a recurring postseason rivalry with the New York Yankees . From 1962 through the end of the 2024 season, the Astros' all-time record is 5,009–4,965–5 (.502). In addition to having the most postseason appearances by an expansion team, they are the only expansion era team with an all-time winning record. In 2024,
3570-491: The United States national baseball team that summer. In his sophomore year he worked as a closing pitcher, achieving 11 saves (a single-season record) in 34 appearances. He played a shortened season in 2006 due to a strained elbow ligament , and had a college career total of 18 saves. The New York Yankees selected Melancon in the ninth round of the 2006 MLB draft . Melancon pitched for the Staten Island Yankees of
3672-502: The 1969 season with a record of 81 wins, 81 losses, marking their first season of .500 ball. In 1970 , the Astros were expected to be a serious threat in the National League West. In June, 19-year-old César Cedeño was called up and immediately showed signs of being a superstar. The Dominican outfielder batted .310 after being called up. Not to be outdone, Menke batted .304 and Jesús Alou batted .306. The Astros' batting average
3774-457: The 1971–1975 Oakland Athletics . The Astros maintain an ardent fanbase and strong global recognition, in part due to their penchant for scouting and signing international players, but have also attracted enmity in the wake of the sign stealing scandal. While in the National League, the Astros held rivalries with the Braves and the St. Louis Cardinals , but since their transition to the American League, have come to hold divisional rivalries with
3876-580: The 1983 season with an injury, forcing Phil Garner to third and Ray Knight to first. Doran took over at second, becoming the everyday second baseman for the next seven seasons. The Astros finished third in the National League West. The 1984 season started off badly when shortstop Dickie Thon was hit in the head by a pitch and was lost for the season. In September, the Astros called up rookie Glenn Davis after he posted impressive numbers in AAA. The Astros finished in second place. In 1985 , Mike Scott learned
3978-644: The Astrodome, control of the Astrodomain (including the Astros) was passed from Roy Hofheinz to GE Credit and Ford Motor Credit. The creditors were just interested in preserving asset value of the team, so any money spent had to be found or saved somewhere else. Tal Smith returned to the Astros from the New York Yankees to find a team that needed a lot of work and did not have a lot of money. However, there would be some bright spots that would prove to be good investments in
4080-401: The Astrodome. Lanier's style of baseball took Houston by storm. Before Lanier took over, fans were accustomed to Houston's occasional slow starts, but with Lanier leading the way, Houston got off to a hot start, winning 13 of their first 19 contests. Prior to the start of the season the Astros acquired outfielder Billy Hatcher from the Cubs for Jerry Mumphrey . Lainer also made a change in
4182-403: The Astros and the visiting teams to miss routine pop flies. A new artificial turf was created called " AstroTurf " and Houston would be involved in yet another change in the way the game was played. With new manager Grady Hatton , the Astros started the 1966 season strong. By May they were in second place in the National League and looked like a team that could contend. Joe Morgan was named as
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4284-623: The Astros became the second expansion team to reach 5,000 wins. From 1888 until 1961, Houston's professional baseball club was the minor league Houston Buffaloes . Although expansion from the National League eventually brought an MLB team to Texas in 1962 , Houston officials had been making efforts to do so for years prior, with a group effort led in 1952 to buy the St. Louis Cardinals for $ 4.25 million, but local owners were instead chosen. There were four men chiefly responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston: journalist/promoter George Kirksey, Craig Cullinan Jr. , R.E. "Bob" Smith ,
4386-628: The Astros fired general manager Al Rosen and manager Bob Lillis . The former was supplanted by Dick Wagner , the man whose Reds defeated the Astros to win the 1979 NL West title. The latter was replaced by Hal Lanier who, like his manager mentor in St. Louis, Whitey Herzog , had a hard-nosed approach to managing and espoused a playing style that focused on pitching, defense, and speed rather than home runs to win games. This style of baseball, known as Whiteyball , took advantage of stadiums with deep fences and artificial turf, both of which were characteristics of
4488-464: The Astros from 1967 until 1975. Although most players for the major league franchise were obtained through the 1961 Major League Baseball expansion draft , Buffs players J.C. Hartman , Pidge Browne , Jim Campbell , Ron Davis , Dave Giusti , and Dave Roberts were chosen to continue as major league ball players. Similarly, the radio broadcasting team remained with the new Houston major league franchise. Loel Passe worked alongside Gene Elston as
4590-509: The Astros had lost their ace pitcher after a 10–4 start with a stingy 1.89 ERA. Richard attempted a comeback, but would never again pitch a big league game. After the loss of Richard and some offensive struggles, the Astros slipped to third place in the division behind the Dodgers and the Reds. They bounced back to first with a ten-game winning streak, but the Dodgers regained a two-game lead before arriving in Houston on September 9. The Astros won
4692-572: The Astros had talent and he put it to work. The Astrodome was host to the 1986 All-Star Game in which Astros Mike Scott , Kevin Bass , Glenn Davis , and Dave Smith represented the host field. The Astros kept pace with the NL West after the All-Star break. They went on a streak of five straight come-from-behind wins. Houston swept a key 3-game series over the San Francisco Giants in late September to clinch
4794-468: The Astros have won over 100 games in four seasons, and have appeared in a record seven consecutive American League Championship Series , winning four of the last seven American League pennants. During this era, the Astros won the 2017 World Series , their first championship, against the Los Angeles Dodgers ; however, this win drew controversy and backlash from fans after the Astros were implicated in
4896-550: The Astros made some changes to their uniform: they kept the same style they had in previous seasons, but inverted the colors. What was navy was now orange and what was orange was now a lighter shade of blue. The players' last names were added to the back of the jerseys. In 1972, the uniform fabric was also changed to what was at the time revolutionizing the industry – polyester. Belts were replaced by elastic waistbands, and jerseys zipped up instead of having buttons. The uniforms became popular with fans, but would last only until 1975, when
4998-482: The Astros to complete the trade. Cuellar was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Curt Blefary . Other new players included catcher Johnny Edwards , infielder Denis Menke and pitcher Denny Lemaster . Wilson continued to pitch brilliantly and on May 1 threw the second no-hitter of his career. In that game, he struck out 18 batters, tying what was then the all-time single-game mark. He was just 24 years of age and
5100-464: The Astros were ahead at Shea Stadium , 5–4, in the bottom of the 9th when closer Dave Smith gave up a two-run home run to Lenny Dykstra , giving the Mets a dramatic 6–5 win. However, the signature game of the series was Game 6. Needing a win to get to Mike Scott (who had been dominant in the series) in Game 7, the Astros jumped off to a 3–0 lead in the first inning but neither team would score again until
5202-420: The Astros with 28 home runs and Cesar Cedeño batted .320 with 25 home runs. Bob Watson hit the .312 mark and drove in 94 runs. Doug Rader and Jimmy Wynn both had 20 or more home runs. However, injuries to their pitching staff limited the Astros to an 82–80 fourth-place finish. The Astros again finished in fourth place the next year under new manager Preston Gómez . With the $ 38 million deficit of
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#17328372789605304-466: The Astros with 90 RBIs. The Menke/Morgan punch was beginning to come alive, and the team was responding to Walker's management style. The Astros dominated the season series against their expansion twins, the New York Mets. In one game at New York, Denis Menke and Jimmy Wynn hit grand slams in the same inning, against a Mets team that would go on to win the World Series that same year. The Astros finished
5406-523: The Astros would shock baseball and the fashion world. The uniforms were about the only thing that did change in 1971. The acquisition of Roger Metzger from the Chicago Cubs in the off-season moved Menke to first base and Bob Watson to the outfield. The Astros got off to a slow start and the pitching and hitting averages were down. Larry Dierker was selected to the All-Star Game in 1971, but due to an arm injury he could not make it. César Cedeño led
5508-412: The Colt .45s, Farrell was primarily a relief pitcher prior to playing for Houston. He was selected to both All-Star Games in 1962. The 1963 season saw more young talent mixed with seasoned veterans. Jimmy Wynn , Rusty Staub , and Joe Morgan all made their major league debuts in the 1963 season . However, Houston's position in the standings did not improve, as the Colt .45s finished in ninth place with
5610-494: The Diamondbacks in 2022, logging a 3–10 record and 4.66 ERA with 35 strikeouts and 18 saves in 56.0 innings pitched. Melancon received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right shoulder after suffering a strain in spring training, and was later placed on the 60-day injured list on April 9, 2023, as the injury cost him the entire 2023 season. The Diamondbacks declined their side of the mutual option on November 5, making Melancon
5712-637: The HSA to sell the team. To make matters worse, the Continental League as a whole folded in August 1960. However, on October 17, 1960, the National League granted an expansion franchise to the Houston Sports Association for them to begin play in the 1962 season. According to the Major League Baseball Constitution , the Houston Sports Association was required to obtain territorial rights from
5814-464: The Houston Buffaloes in order to play in the Houston area, resulting in the HSA revisiting negotiations. Eventually, the Houston Sports Association succeeded in purchasing the Houston Buffaloes, which were at this point majority-owned by William Hopkins, on January 17, 1961. The Buffs played one last minor league season as the top farm team of the Chicago Cubs in 1961 before being succeeded by
5916-413: The Mets and four for the Astros) tried to end the game. The game finally ended in the 24th inning when Bob Aspromonte hit a shot toward Mets shortstop Al Weis . Weis had been perfect all night at short, but he was not quick enough to make the play. The ball zipped into left field, allowing Norm Miller to score. With baseball expansion and trades, the Astros had dramatically changed in 1969 . Aspromonte
6018-461: The NLCS. The Phillies would win the opener after the Astros got out to a 1–0 third-inning lead. Ken Forsch pitched particularly strong fourth and fifth innings, but Greg Luzinski hit a sixth-inning two-run bomb to the 300 level seats of Veterans Stadium . The Phillies added an insurance run on the way to a 3–1 win. Houston bounced back to win games two and three. Game four went into extra innings, with
6120-419: The Phillies an 8–7 lead. The Astros failed to score in the bottom of the tenth. A 1981 player strike ran between June 12 and August 10. Ultimately, the strike would help the Astros get into the playoffs. Nolan Ryan and Bob Knepper picked up steam in the second half of the season. Ryan threw his fifth no-hitter on September 26 and finished the season with a 1.69 ERA. Knepper finished with an ERA of 2.18. In
6222-502: The Phillies taking the lead and the win in the tenth inning. Pete Rose started a rally with a one-out single, then Luzinski doubled off the left-field wall and Rose bowled over catcher Bruce Bochy to score the go-ahead run. The Phillies got an insurance run on the way to tying the series. Rookie Phillies pitcher Marty Bystrom was sent out by Philadelphia manager Dallas Green to face veteran Nolan Ryan in Game Five. The rookie gave up
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#17328372789606324-467: The Reds getting the better end of the deal. Houston sent second baseman Joe Morgan , infielder Denis Menke , pitcher Jack Billingham , outfielder César Gerónimo and prospect Ed Armbrister to Cincinnati for first baseman Lee May , second baseman Tommy Helms and infielder Jimmy Stewart . The trade left Astros fans and the baseball world scratching their heads as to why general manager Spec Richardson would give up so much for so little. The Reds, on
6426-462: The United States and Canada. The minor leagues are divided into classes AAA, AA, High-A, A, and Rookie. These minor-league divisions are affiliated with major league teams, and serve to develop young players and rehabilitate injured major-leaguers. "Affiliated baseball" (archaically, " organized baseball ") is often applied as an umbrella term for all leagues — major and minor — under the authority of
6528-417: The acquisitions of Joe Niekro and José Cruz . The Astros bought Niekro from the Braves for almost nothing. Niekro had bounced around the big leagues with minimal success. His older brother Phil Niekro had started teaching Joe how to throw his knuckleball and Joe was just starting to use it when he came to the Astros. Niekro won six games, saved four games and had an ERA of 3.07. Acquiring José Cruz from
6630-547: The advent of interleague play . The Philadelphia Phillies , founded in 1883, are the oldest continuous same-name, same-city franchise in both Major League Baseball and all of American professional sports. In addition to the major leagues, many North American cities and towns feature minor league teams. An organization officially styled Minor League Baseball , formerly the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues, oversees nearly all minor league baseball in
6732-425: The chest down, the uniform was a solid block of yellow, orange, and red stripes. There was also a large dark blue star over the midsection. The same multi-colored stripes ran down the pant legs. Players' numbers not only appeared on the back of the jersey, but also on the pant leg. The bright stripes were meant to appear as a fiery trail like a rocket sweeping across the heavens. The uniforms were panned by critics, but
6834-486: The city of Houston that he too wanted a winning team, signing nearby Alvin, Texas native Nolan Ryan to the first million-dollar-a-year deal. Ryan had four career no-hitters already and had struck out 383 in one season. Joe Morgan returned in 1980. The 1980 pitching staff was one of the best Houston ever had, with the fastball of Ryan, the knuckleball of Joe Niekro and the terrifying 6 ft 8 in frame of J. R. Richard . Teams felt lucky to face Ken Forsch , who
6936-480: The city's NL club. The new Houston team was named the Colt .45s after a "Name the Team" contest was won by William Irving Neder. The Colt .45 was well known as "the gun that won the west". The colors selected were navy and orange. The first team was formed mostly through an expansion draft after the 1961 season. The Colt .45s and their expansion cousins, the New York Mets , took turns choosing players left unprotected by
7038-514: The club with 81 RBIs and the league with 40 doubles, but batted just .264 and had 102 strikeouts in his second season with the Astros. Pitcher J. R. Richard made his debut in September of the 1971 season against the Giants . In November 1971 the Astros and Cincinnati Reds made one of the biggest blockbuster trades in the history of the sport, and helped create The Big Red Machine of the 1970s, with
7140-473: The day after he gave up six runs, including three home runs, without recording an out against the Texas Rangers . Melancon was recalled June 10 after an injury to Rich Hill . During his time in the Majors with the Red Sox in 2012, Melancon finished the season 0–2 and a 6.20 ERA and 1 save in 41 appearances. On December 26, 2012, the Red Sox traded Melancon, Stolmy Pimentel , Jerry Sands and Iván DeJesús Jr. to
7242-510: The disabled list. However, Melancon was named the Pirates new permanent closer after Grilli was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in June 2014. Melancon finished his 2014 campaign posting a 3–5 record with a 1.90 ERA and converting 33 saves in 37 opportunities. The Pirates agreed to pay Melancon $ 5.4 million for the 2015 season. Starting the 2015 season as the Pirates' closer, Melancon
7344-483: The division title. Mike Scott took the mound in the final game of the series and pitched a no-hitter – the only time in MLB history that any division was clinched via a no-hitter. Scott would finish the season with an 18–10 record and a Cy Young Award . The 1986 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets was noted for its drama and is considered to be one of the greatest postseason series. In Game 3,
7446-402: The end of Larry Dierker 's playing career as an Astro, but before it was all over he would throw a no-hitter and win the 1,000th game in the Astrodome. The Astros finished in third place again in 1977 with a record of 81–81. One of the big problems the Astros had in the late 1970s was that they were unable to compete in the free-agent market. Ford Motor Credit Company was still in control of
7548-399: The first Astros player in team history to hit for the cycle in August versus the Reds. The Astros finished the strike-shortened season at 84–69, their first winning season. Astros fans had hoped for more of the same in 1973 , but it was not to be. The Astros run production was down, even though the same five sluggers the year before were still punching the ball out of the park. Lee May led
7650-486: The first two games of the series to tie the Dodgers for the division lead. The Astros went on to win a third game and take the lead- with three games against the Dodgers left. The Dodgers swept the next series, forcing a one-game playoff the next day. The Astros won the playoff game 7–1, and advanced to their first post-season. The team would face the Philadelphia Phillies in the 1980 National League Championship Series . The Phillies sent out Steve Carlton in game one of
7752-462: The formation of a new league to compete with the established National and American Leagues. They called the new league the Continental League . Wanting to protect potential new markets, both existing leagues chose to expand from eight teams to ten. However, plans eventually fell through for the Houston franchise after the Houston Buffaloes owner, Marty Marion , could not come to an agreement with
7854-405: The horizon, the structure of the new domed stadium was more prevalent and it would soon change the way that baseball was watched in Houston and around the league. On December 1, 1964, the team announced the name change from the Colt .45s to the "Astros". With Judge Roy Hofheinz now the sole owner of the franchise and the new venue complete, the renamed Astros moved into their new domed stadium,
7956-721: The host of the Johnson Space Center , was adopted three years later, when they moved into the Astrodome , the first-ever domed sports stadium and the so-called "Eighth Wonder of the World". The Astros moved to Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park ) in 2000 . The team played in the NL West division from 1969 to 1993, then the NL Central division from 1994 to 2012, before being moved to the AL West as part of an MLB realignment in 2013. The Astros posted their first winning record in 1972 and made
8058-590: The late 19th and early 20th centuries, players of black African descent were barred from playing the major leagues , though several did manage to play by claiming to be Cubans or Native Americans . As a result, a number of parallel Negro leagues were formed. However, after Jackie Robinson began playing with the major-league Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947, the Negro leagues gradually faded. The process of integration did not go entirely smoothly; there were some ugly incidents, including pitchers who would try to throw directly at
8160-432: The near future. The year started on a sad note. Pitcher Don Wilson was found dead in the passenger seat of his car on January 5, 1975; the cause of death was asphyxiation by carbon monoxide. Wilson was 29 years old. Wilson's number 40 was retired on April 13, 1975. The 1975 season saw the introduction of the Astros' new uniforms. Many teams were going away from the traditional uniform and the Astros were no exception. From
8262-410: The other National League franchises. Many players and staff associated with the Houston Buffaloes organization continued in the major leagues. Manager Harry Craft , who had joined Houston in 1961, remained in the same position for the team until the end of the 1964 season . General manager Spec Richardson also continued with the organization as business manager but was later promoted back to GM for
8364-521: The other hand, would shore up many problems. They had an off year in 1971, but were the National League Pennant winner in 1972 . The Astros' acquisition of Lee May added more power to the lineup in 1972 . May, Wynn, Rader and Cedeño all had 20 or more home runs and Watson hit 16. Cedeño also led the Astros with a .320 batting average, 55 stolen bases and made spectacular plays on the field. Cedeño made his first All-Star game in 1972 and became
8466-479: The pitching staff, going with a three-man rotation to start the season. This allowed Lanier to keep his three starters ( Nolan Ryan , Bob Knepper , and Mike Scott ) sharp and to slowly work in rookie hurler Jim Deshaies . Bill Doran and Glenn Davis held down the right side of the field but Lainer rotated the left side. Denny Walling and Craig Reynolds faced the right-handed pitchers while Phil Garner and Dickie Thon batted against left-handers. Lanier knew
8568-548: The playoffs for the first time in 1980 , before winning a total of three division titles throughout the 1980s. Spearheaded by the Killer B's , a collection of prominent hitters that included the Astros' only Hall of Fame members Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell , the Astros began reaching major prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s with four further division titles and two Wild Card appearances, culminating in their first World Series appearance in 2005 where they were swept by
8670-432: The public liked them and versions started appearing at the high school and little league level. The uniform was so different from what other teams wore that the Astros wore it both at home and on the road until 1980. Besides the bright new uniforms there were some other changes. Lee May was traded to Baltimore for much talked about rookie second baseman Rob Andrews and utility player Enos Cabell . In Baltimore, Cabell
8772-452: The season, Baseball America rated him the organization's ninth best prospect. Melancon was called up to MLB for the first time on April 25, 2009. He made his MLB debut as a relief pitcher against the Boston Red Sox on April 26, pitching two scoreless innings. He was then optioned back to Triple-A team Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees on May 8, and recalled back to the Majors on July 9. Melancon played in 13 games with an 0–1 record and
8874-430: The season. Melancon and the Pirates agreed to a $ 9.65 million salary for the 2016 season, his final year of arbitration eligibility. Melancon was named to the National League's 2016 All-Star roster, his second straight All-Star appearance and his third overall. On July 30, 2016, the Pirates traded Melancon to the Washington Nationals for Felipe Vázquez (formerly Rivero) and Taylor Hearn . He secured his first save as
8976-562: The second half, Houston beat Los Angeles in their first two playoff games at home, but the Dodgers took the next three in Los Angeles to advance to the NLCS . By 1982 , only four players and three starting pitchers remained from the 1980 squad. The Astros were out of pennant contention by August and began rebuilding for the near future. Bill Virdon was fired as manager and replaced by original Colt .45 Bob Lillis . Don Sutton asked to be traded and
9078-526: The second run he allowed being a walk off single from Chris Owings . The Giants lost 5–6. After being placed on the DL, Melancon lost the closer position to newly acquired Sam Dyson . On September 4, 2017, it was announced Melancon would undergo surgery to alleviate chronic exertional compartment syndrome in his right forearm . Melancon returned in the 2018 season and went 1–4 with a 3.23 ERA over 41 appearances. He performed well after his surgery but produced just
9180-582: The team and was looking to sell the Astros, but would not spend money on better players. Most of the talent was either farm grown or bought cheaply. The 1979 season would prove to be a big turnaround in Astros history. During the offseason, the Astros attempted to fix some of their problem areas. They traded Floyd Bannister to Seattle for shortstop Craig Reynolds and acquired catcher Alan Ashby from Toronto for pitcher Mark Lemongello . Reynolds and Ashby were both solid in their positions and gave Houston some much-needed consistency. The season started with
9282-463: The wake of the strike, Major League Baseball took the winners of each "half" season and set up a best-of-five divisional playoff. The Reds won more games than any other team in the National League, but they won neither half of the strike-divided season. The Astros finished 61–49 overall, which would have been third in the division behind the Reds and the Dodgers . Advancing to the playoffs as winners of
9384-406: Was a double-digit winner in the previous two seasons. Richard became the first Astros pitcher to start an All-Star game. Three days later, Richard was told to rest his arm after a medical examination and on July 30 he collapsed during a workout. He had suffered a stroke after a blood clot in the arm apparently moved to his neck and cut off blood flow to the brain. Surgery was done to save his life, but
9486-696: Was also named to several All-State teams in these three sports and helped win a Baseball State Championship in 2003. He was also a member of the National Honor Society . Melancon was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 30th round of the 2003 MLB draft . He declined the offer so that he could attend the University of Arizona . As a member of the Arizona Wildcats baseball team, Melancon appeared in 29 games (a single-season freshman record) and played in 5 post-season games. He pitched in 10 games for
9588-618: Was drafted by the New York Yankees in the ninth round of the 2006 MLB draft . He made his MLB debut in 2009. He led the National League in saves in 2015, and won the Trevor Hoffman Award that year. Melancon was an MLB All-Star in 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2021. Melancon was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado , and attended Golden High School , where he lettered all four years in baseball, basketball and three times in football . He
9690-512: Was fired late in the season and replaced by Bill Virdon . The Astros played .500 ball under Virdon in the last 34 games of the season. With Virdon as the manager the Astros improved greatly in 1976 finishing in third place with an 80–82 record. A healthy César Cedeño was a key reason for the Astros' success in 1976. Bob Watson continued to show consistency and led the club with a .313 average and 102 RBI. José Cruz became Houston's everyday left fielder and hit .303 with 28 stolen bases. 1976 saw
9792-412: Was high not because of the team's accomplishments, but because people came from miles around to see the Astrodome. Just as the excitement was settling down over the Astrodome, the 1966 season found something new to put the domed stadium in the spotlight once again – the field. Grass would not grow in the new park, since the roof panels had been painted to reduce the glare that was causing players on both
9894-530: Was named an All Star for the second time in his career, and his first as a closer. He recorded his 100th career save against the Kansas City Royals and surpassed Mike Williams to become the all-time Pirates single-season saves leader, recording his 47th of the season on September 19. He finished the season with a major league-leading 51 saves and won the 2015 National League Reliever of the Year Award after
9996-473: Was second to only Sandy Koufax for career no-hit wins. Wilson's no-hitter lit the Astros' fire after a miserable month of April, and six days later the team tied a major league record by turning seven double plays in a game. By May's end, the Astros had put together a ten-game winning streak. The Houston infield tandem of Menke and Joe Morgan continued to improve, providing power at the plate and great defense. Morgan had 15 homers and stole 49 bases while Menke led
10098-473: Was sent to the Milwaukee Brewers for cash and the team gained three new prospects, including Kevin Bass . Minor league player Bill Doran was called up in September. The Astros finished fourth in the west, but new talent was starting to appear. Before the 1983 season , the Astros traded Danny Heep to the Mets for pitcher Mike Scott , a 28-year-old who had struggled with New York. Art Howe sat out
10200-428: Was sent to the Braves and Rusty Staub was traded to the expansion Montreal Expos , in exchange for outfielder Jesús Alou and first baseman Donn Clendenon . However, Clendenon refused to report to Houston, electing to retire and take job with a pen manufacturing company. The Astros asked Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to void the trade, but he refused. Instead, he awarded Jack Billingham and a left-handed relief pitcher to
10302-406: Was stuck behind third baseman Brooks Robinson , but he took advantage of his opportunity in Houston and became their everyday third baseman. Cabell would go on to become a big part of the team's success in later years. With May gone, Bob Watson was able to move to first base and was a bright spot in the line up, batting .324 with 85 RBI. The two biggest moves the Astros made in the offseason were
10404-415: Was up by 19 points compared to the season before. The team looked good, but the Astros' ERA was up. Larry Dierker and Wilson had winning records, but the pitching staff as a whole had an off season. Houston finished in fourth place in 1970. The fashion trends of the 1970s had started taking root in baseball. Long hair and loud colors were starting to appear on team uniforms, including the Astros'. In 1971
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