1999 Houston Astros season
1999 Houston Astros | |
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1999 NL Central Champions | |
Final Astros regular season game (in the Astrodome) on October 3, 1999 | |
Major League affiliations | |
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Location | |
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Results | |
Record | 97–65 (.599) |
Divisional place | 1st |
Other information | |
Owner(s) | Drayton McLane, Jr. |
General manager(s) | Gerry Hunsicker |
Manager(s) | Larry Dierker |
Local television |
KNWS-TV Fox Sports Southwest (Bill Brown, Jim Deshaies) |
Local radio |
KTRH (Milo Hamilton, Alan Ashby) KXYZ (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz, Alex Treviño) |
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The 1999 Houston Astros season was a season in American baseball. The Astros won their third consecutive National League Central division title. It was their final season playing in the Astrodome as their home ballpark.
Offseason
- November 17, 1998: Ken Caminiti was signed as a free agent by the Astros.[1]
- January 19, 1999: Ryan Thompson was signed as a free agent by the Astros.[2]
- January 21, 1999: Alex Diaz was signed as a free agent by the Astros.[3]
Regular season
New stadium
In 1999, the Astros played their final season in the Astrodome as their new stadium was being prepared for play to begin in the 2000 season. The ballpark was first christened as Enron Field on April 9, 1999, with naming rights sold to the Houston energy and financial trading company in a 30-year, $100 million deal. Astros management faced a public relations nightmare when the energy corporation went bankrupt in the midst of one of the biggest corporate scandals in American history in 2001, and they bought back the remainder of Enron's thirty years of naming rights for $2.1 million, rechristening the ballpark as Astros Field on February 7, 2002. The field was unofficially known as "The Field Formerly Known As Enron" by fans and critics alike, in wake of the Enron scandal. On June 5, 2002, Houston-based Minute Maid, the fruit-juice subsidiary of Coca-Cola, acquired the naming rights to the stadium for 28 years at a price exceeding $100 million.
Based on its downtown location next to the old Union Station buildings, one of the suggested names (and nicknames) is the Ballpark at Union Station, or the BUS. During its days as Enron Field, it was also dubbed "Ten-Run" or "Home Run" Field due to its cozy left-field dimensions. In keeping with this theme while paying homage to its current sponsor, the nickname "The Juice Box" is colloquially used today.
Overview
On April 21, Jeff Bagwell hit three home runs in a 10–3 win against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field, his second career three-home run game. The second home run allowed him to surpass Jimmy Wynn as the Astros' all-time home run leader at 224 and he tied a career-high in one game with six runs batted in (RBI).[4] He produced another three-home run game on June 9 against the Chicago White Sox. He was also a grand slam short of hitting for the "home run cycle," with a solo home run, a three-run home run, and a two-run home run, respectively.[5] The two three-home run games made him the only player to accomplish this feat at two different stadiums in Chicago in the same season.[6]
On August 20, Bagwell walked a major-league record six times in a 16-inning game against the Florida Marlins.[7][8]
Season standings
NL Central | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Houston Astros | 97 | 65 | 0.599 | — | 50–32 | 47–33 |
Cincinnati Reds | 96 | 67 | 0.589 | 1½ | 45–37 | 51–30 |
Pittsburgh Pirates | 78 | 83 | 0.484 | 18½ | 45–36 | 33–47 |
St. Louis Cardinals | 75 | 86 | 0.466 | 21½ | 38–42 | 37–44 |
Milwaukee Brewers | 74 | 87 | 0.460 | 22½ | 32–48 | 42–39 |
Chicago Cubs | 67 | 95 | 0.414 | 30 | 34–47 | 33–48 |
Record vs. opponents
1999 National League Records Source: NL Standings Head-to-Head | |||||||||||||||||
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Team | ARI | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LAD | MIL | MON | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL |
Arizona | — | 4–5 | 7–2 | 1–8 | 6–7 | 8–1 | 5–4 | 7–6 | 5–4 | 6–3 | 7–2 | 8–1 | 5–2 | 11–2 | 9–3 | 4–4 | 7–8 |
Atlanta | 5–4 | — | 2–5 | 8–1 | 5–4 | 9–4 | 6–1 | 5–4 | 5–2 | 9–4 | 9–3 | 8–5 | 6–3 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 8–1 | 9–9 |
Chicago | 2–7 | 5–2 | — | 5–8 | 4–5 | 6–3 | 3–9 | 2–7 | 6–6 | 2–5 | 3–6 | 2–7 | 7–6 | 6–3 | 1–7 | 7–5 | 6–9 |
Cincinnati | 8–1 | 1–8 | 8–5 | — | 7–2 | 6–1 | 9–4 | 4–3 | 6–6 | 4–3 | 5–5 | 6–3 | 7–6 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 8–4 | 7-8 |
Colorado | 7–6 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 2–7 | — | 5–4 | 2–6 | 8–5 | 6–3 | 6–3 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 2–7 | 4–9 | 4–9 | 4–5 | 4–8 |
Florida | 1–8 | 4–9 | 3–6 | 1–6 | 4–5 | — | 2–7 | 7–2 | 5–4 | 8–4 | 3–10 | 2–11 | 3–4 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 3–4 | 11–7 |
Houston | 4–5 | 1–6 | 9–3 | 4–9 | 6–2 | 7-2 | — | 6–3 | 8–5 | 7–2 | 4–5 | 6–1 | 5–7 | 8–1 | 5–4 | 5–7 | 12–3 |
Los Angeles | 6–7 | 4–5 | 7–2 | 3–4 | 5–8 | 2–7 | 3–6 | — | 7–2 | 5–4 | 4–4 | 6–3 | 3–6 | 3–9 | 8–5 | 3–6 | 8–7 |
Milwaukee | 4–5 | 2–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 5–8 | 2–7 | — | 5–4 | 2–5 | 5–4 | 8–4 | 3–5 | 4–5 | 7–6 | 8–6 |
Montreal | 3–6 | 4–9 | 5–2 | 3–4 | 3–6 | 4–8 | 2–7 | 4–5 | 4–5 | — | 5–8 | 6–6 | 3–6 | 5–3 | 4–5 | 5–4 | 8–10 |
New York | 2–7 | 3–9 | 6–3 | 5–5 | 5–4 | 10–3 | 5–4 | 4–4 | 5–2 | 8–5 | — | 6–6 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 7–2 | 5–2 | 12–6 |
Philadelphia | 1-8 | 5–8 | 7–2 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 11–2 | 1–6 | 3–6 | 4–5 | 6–6 | 6–6 | — | 3–4 | 6–3 | 2–6 | 4–5 | 11–7 |
Pittsburgh | 2–5 | 3–6 | 6–7 | 6–7 | 7–2 | 4–3 | 7–5 | 6–3 | 4–8 | 6–3 | 2–7 | 4–3 | — | 3–6 | 4–5 | 7–5 | 7–8 |
San Diego | 2–11 | 4–5 | 3–6 | 3–6 | 9–4 | 6–3 | 1–8 | 9–3 | 5–3 | 3–5 | 2–7 | 3–6 | 6–3 | — | 5–7 | 2–7 | 11–4 |
San Francisco | 3–9 | 5–4 | 7–1 | 5–4 | 9–4 | 5–4 | 4–5 | 5–8 | 5–4 | 5–4 | 2–7 | 6–2 | 5–4 | 7–5 | — | 6–3 | 7–8 |
St. Louis | 4–4 | 1–8 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 5–4 | 4-3 | 7–5 | 6–3 | 6–7 | 4–5 | 2–5 | 5–4 | 5–7 | 7–2 | 3–6 | — | 7–8 |
Notable transactions
- August 3, 1999: Josh Dimmick (minors) was traded by the Astros to the Minnesota Twins for George Williams.[9]
- August 31, 1999: Alex Diaz was released by the Astros.[3]
Roster
1999 Houston Astros | |||||||||
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Roster | |||||||||
Pitchers
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Catchers
Infielders
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Outfielders
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Manager
Coaches
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Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos | Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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C | Tony Eusebio | 103 | 323 | 88 | .272 | 4 | 33 |
1B | Jeff Bagwell | 162 | 562 | 171 | .304 | 42 | 126 |
2B | Craig Biggio | 160 | 639 | 188 | .294 | 16 | 73 |
SS | Tim Bogar | 106 | 309 | 74 | .239 | 4 | 31 |
3B | Ken Caminiti | 78 | 273 | 78 | .286 | 13 | 56 |
LF | Richard Hidalgo | 108 | 383 | 87 | .227 | 15 | 56 |
CF | Carl Everett | 123 | 464 | 151 | .325 | 25 | 108 |
RF | Derek Bell | 128 | 509 | 120 | .236 | 12 | 66 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player | G | AB | H | Avg. | HR | RBI |
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Diaz, AlexAlex Diaz | 30 | 50 | 11 | .220 | 1 | 7 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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Mike Hampton | 35 | 246.1 | 22 | 4 | 3.58 | 177 |
Jose Lima | 34 | 239.0 | 21 | 10 | 2.90 | 187 |
Shane Reynolds | 34 | 231.2 | 16 | 14 | 3.85 | 197 |
Chris Holt | 32 | 164.0 | 5 | 13 | 4.66 | 115 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | IP | W | L | ERA | SO |
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Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts
Player | G | W | L | SV | ERA | SO |
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National League Divisional Playoffs
Atlanta Braves vs. Houston Astros
Atlanta wins series, 3-1
Game | Score | Date |
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1 | Houston 6, Atlanta 1 | October 5 |
2 | Atlanta 5, Houston 1 | October 6 |
3 | Atlanta 5, Houston 3 (12 innings) | October 8 |
4 | Atlanta 7, Houston 5 | October 9 |
Farm system
LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: Martinsville
References
- ↑ Ken Caminiti at Baseball-Reference
- ↑ Ryan Thompson at Baseball-Reference
- 1 2 Alex Diaz at Baseball-Reference
- ↑ "Bagwell is at his best with three homers". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. April 22, 1999. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- ↑ "Baseball time in Arlington: The penultimate killing of the year". Bbtia.com. September 28, 2011. Archived from the original on October 4, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2011.
- ↑ Kamka, Chris (April 12, 2015). "Thomas, Bagwell share 2005 World Series connection". Comcast SportsNet Chicago. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ↑ de Jesús Ortíz, José (November 26, 2002). "Bagwell turns to weight room to regain shoulder strength". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 20, 2016.
- ↑ "Jeff Bagwell 1999 batting game log". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
- ↑ George Williams at Baseball-Reference