1997 Houston Astros season
The 1997 Houston Astros season was the 36th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas. In their fourth season in the National League Central and first under former player/broadcaster-turned manager Larry Dierker, the Astros finished first place, giving them their first playoff berth in eleven years.
| 1997 Houston Astros | |
|---|---|
| National League Central Champions | |
| Major League affiliations | |
| |
| Location | |
| |
| Results | |
| Record | 84–78 (.519) |
| Divisional place | 1st |
| Other information | |
| Owner(s) | Drayton McLane, Jr. |
| General manager(s) | Gerry Hunsicker |
| Manager(s) | Larry Dierker |
| Local television | KTXH Fox Sports Southwest (Bill Brown, Jim Deshaies) |
| Local radio | KILT (AM) (Milo Hamilton, Vince Controneo) KXYZ (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz, Alex Treviño) |
| < Previous season Next season > | |
Offseason
December 2, 1996: Pat Listach signed as a Free Agent with the Houston Astros.[1]
Regular season
The 1,000 hit of Jeff Bagwell's career was a home run on May 20 against Calvin Maduro, one of his two that game, in a 9–5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.[2]
Season standings
| NL Central | W | L | Pct. | GB | Home | Road |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Astros | 84 | 78 | 0.519 | — | 46–35 | 38–43 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates | 79 | 83 | 0.488 | 5 | 43–38 | 36–45 |
| Cincinnati Reds | 76 | 86 | 0.469 | 8 | 40–41 | 36–45 |
| St. Louis Cardinals | 73 | 89 | 0.451 | 11 | 41–40 | 32–49 |
| Chicago Cubs | 68 | 94 | 0.420 | 16 | 42–39 | 26–55 |
Record vs. opponents
Sources: | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | ATL | CHC | CIN | COL | FLA | HOU | LA | MTL | NYM | PHI | PIT | SD | SF | STL | AL | ||
| Atlanta | — | 9–2 | 9–2 | 5–6 | 4–8 | 7–4 | 6–5 | 10–2 | 5–7 | 10–2 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 7–4 | 8–3 | 7–5 | ||
| Chicago | 2–9 | — | 7–5 | 2–9 | 2–9 | 3–9 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 7–5 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 4–8 | 9–6 | ||
| Cincinnati | 2–9 | 5–7 | — | 5–6 | 5–6 | 5–7 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 2–9 | 8–3 | 8–4 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 6–6 | 9–6 | ||
| Colorado | 6–5 | 9–2 | 6–5 | — | 7–4 | 5–6 | 5–7 | 7–4 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 4–7 | 4–8 | 4–8 | 7–4 | 9–7 | ||
| Florida | 8–4 | 9–2 | 6–5 | 4–7 | — | 7–4 | 7–4 | 7–5 | 4–8 | 6–6 | 7–4 | 5–6 | 5–6 | 5–6 | 12–3 | ||
| Houston | 4–7 | 9–3 | 7–5 | 6–5 | 4–7 | — | 7–4 | 8–3 | 7–4 | 4–7 | 6–6 | 6–5 | 3–8 | 9–3 | 4–11 | ||
| Los Angeles | 5–6 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 7–5 | 4–7 | 4–7 | — | 7–4 | 6–5 | 10–1 | 9–2 | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 9–7 | ||
| Montreal | 2–10 | 7–4 | 5–6 | 4–7 | 5–7 | 3–8 | 4–7 | — | 5–7 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 6–5 | 6–5 | 12–3 | ||
| New York | 7–5 | 5–6 | 9–2 | 5–6 | 8–4 | 4–7 | 5–6 | 7–5 | — | 7–5 | 7–4 | 5–6 | 3–8 | 9–2 | 7–8 | ||
| Philadelphia | 2-10 | 5–6 | 3–8 | 7–4 | 6–6 | 7–4 | 1–10 | 6–6 | 5–7 | — | 5–6 | 7–4 | 3–8 | 6–5 | 5–10 | ||
| Pittsburgh | 6–5 | 5–7 | 4–8 | 7–4 | 4–7 | 6–6 | 2–9 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 6–5 | — | 5–6 | 8–3 | 9–3 | 7–8 | ||
| San Diego | 3–8 | 5–6 | 6–5 | 8–4 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 7–5 | 3–8 | 6–5 | 4–7 | 6–5 | — | 4–8 | 5–6 | 8–8 | ||
| San Francisco | 4–7 | 6–5 | 7–4 | 8–4 | 6–5 | 8–3 | 6–6 | 5–6 | 8–3 | 8–3 | 3–8 | 8–4 | — | 3–8 | 10–6 | ||
| St. Louis | 3–8 | 8–4 | 6–6 | 4–7 | 6–5 | 3-9 | 6–5 | 5–6 | 2–9 | 5–6 | 3–9 | 6–5 | 8–3 | — | 8–7 | ||
Opening Day starters
- Bobby Abreu
- Brad Ausmus
- Jeff Bagwell
- Derek Bell
- Sean Berry
- Craig Biggio
- Luis Gonzalez
- Pat Listach
- Shane Reynolds[3]
Notable transactions
- June 3, 1997: 1997 Major League Baseball draft
- Lance Berkman was drafted by the Astros in the 1st round (16th pick) . Player signed June 4, 1997.[4]
- Eric Byrnes was drafted by the Astros in the 4th round, but did not sign.[5]
- July 1, 1997: Pat Listach was released by the Astros.[1]
- July 27, 1997: Josías Manzanillo was signed as a Free Agent with the Houston Astros.[6]
Roster
| 1997 Houston Astros | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CF | Chuck Carr | 63 | 192 | 53 | .276 | 4 | 17 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
National League Divisional Playoffs
The Atlanta Braves defeated the Houston Astros, three games to none.
| Game | Home | Score | Visitor | Score | Date | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta | 2 | Houston | 1 | September 30 | 1-0 (ATL) |
| 2 | Atlanta | 13 | Houston | 3 | October 1 | 2-0 (ATL) |
| 3 | Houston | 1 | Atlanta | 4 | October 3 | 3-0 (ATL) |
Farm system
References
- Pat Listach at Baseball-Reference
- "Bagwell's 1,000th hit leads Astros, 9–5". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. May 20, 1997. Retrieved February 17, 2016.
- "1997 Houston Astros Roster by Baseball Almanac".
- Lance Berkman at Baseball-Reference
- Eric Byrnes at Baseball-Reference
- "Josias Manzanillo Stats".