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1966 Houston Astros Season
The 1966 Houston Astros season was a season in American baseball. The team finished eighth in the National League with a record of , 23 games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. This was the second season for the Astrodome, but its first with a playing surface of AstroTurf. The infield portion was installed in March, and the outfield was ready for play on July 19. Offseason * November 29, 1965: 1965 rule 5 draft **Nate Colbert was drafted by the Astros from the St. Louis Cardinals. ** Bob Saverine was drafted from the Astros by the Washington Senators. * January 6, 1966: Johnny Weekly and cash were traded by the Astros to the New York Mets for Gary Kroll. Regular season Season standings Record vs. opponents Opening Day lineup #Lee Maye, LF # Sonny Jackson, SS #Jimmy Wynn, CF # Dave Nicholson, RF #Joe Morgan, 2B #Bob Aspromonte Robert Thomas Aspromonte (born June 19, 1938) is an American former professional baseball player and business entrepreneur. He played ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Astrodome
The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Houston and known for pioneering modern stadiums. Construction on the stadium began in 1962, and it officially opened in 1965. It served as home to the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball (MLB) from its opening until 1999, and the home to the Houston Oilers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 until 1996, and also the part-time home of the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1971 until 1975. Additionally, the Astrodome was the primary venue of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo from 1966 until 2002. When opened, it was named the Harris County Domed Stadium and was nicknamed the " Eighth Wonder of the World". After the original natural grass playing surface died, the Astrodome became the first major ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Washington Senators (1961–71)
The Texas Rangers are an American professional baseball team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Rangers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) West division. In 2020, the Rangers moved to the new Globe Life Field in Arlington after having played at Globe Life Park (now Choctaw Stadium) from 1994 to 2019. The team's name is shared with a law enforcement agency. The franchise was established in 1961, as the Washington Senators, an expansion team awarded to Washington, D.C., after the city's first AL ballclub, the second Washington Senators, moved to Minnesota and became the Twins (the original Washington Senators played primarily in the National League during the 1890s). After the season, the new Senators moved to Arlington, and debuted as the Rangers the following spring. The Rangers have made eight appearances in the MLB postseason, seven following division championships in 1996, 1998, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2015, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fred Stanley (baseball)
Frederick Blair Stanley (born August 13, 1947) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1969 to 1982 for the Seattle Pilots / Milwaukee Brewers, Cleveland Indians, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees, and Oakland Athletics. While with the Yankees, he won two World Series championships, back to back in 1977 and 1978, both over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Stanley currently serves as the Director of Player Development for the San Francisco Giants. Career Nicknamed "Chicken," Stanley was a key backup to Bucky Dent of the Yankees teams in the late 1970s and was a part of the Yankees championship teams in both 1977 and 1978. Stanley was a favorite player of Phil Rizzuto, who did the color analysis for the Yankees during this timeframe. On September 8, 1973, Stanley hit the last grand slam at the original Yankee Stadium. Since 1960, no other non-pitcher has had as many seasons (nine) with at least 30 at-bats and five or fewer e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robin Roberts (baseball)
Robin Evan Roberts (September 30, 1926 – May 6, 2010) was a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who pitched primarily for the Philadelphia Phillies (1948–1961). He spent the latter part of his career with the Baltimore Orioles (1962–1965), Houston Astros (1965–66), and Chicago Cubs (1966). He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1976. After his playing days, he coached the NCAA's South Florida Bulls baseball team for nine seasons, leading them to 6 conference titles. Early life Roberts was born in Springfield, Illinois, the son of an immigrant Welsh coal miner. He arrived in East Lansing, Michigan as part of an Army Air Corps training program. He attended Lanphier High School and after World War II, Roberts returned to Michigan State College to play basketball, not baseball. Roberts led the Spartans' basketball team in field-goal percentage in 1946–1947, was captain of the team during the 1946–1947 and 1949–1950 seasons, and earned three varsity lett ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Bateman (baseball)
John Alvin Bateman (July 21, 1940 – December 3, 1996) was an American professional baseball catcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Colt .45s / Astros, Montreal Expos, and Philadelphia Phillies. Bateman batted and threw right-handed. During his playing days, he stood tall, weighing . Born in Killeen, Texas, Bateman grew up in Lawton, Oklahoma and attended Lawton High School. He signed with the expansion Houston Colt .45s, as an amateur free agent, in . In 10 MLB seasons, Bateman compiled a .230 lifetime batting average; he ended his big league career with the Phillies. Houston Colt .45s Bateman clubbed 22 home runs for the minor league Modesto Colts in 1962, and made the Colt .45s out of spring training the following season as Jim Campbell's back-up behind the plate. Campbell, however, sputtered, and soon lost his starting job to Bateman. On May 17, , Bateman caught the first no-hitter in Houston franchise history. Don Nottebart held the Philadel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chuck Harrison (baseball)
Charles William Harrison (April 25, 1941 – December 30, 2023) was an American professional baseball player. He was a first baseman in Major League Baseball who played between through for the Houston Astros (1965–1967) and Kansas City Royals (1969, 1971). Listed at , , Harrison batted and threw right-handed. He was signed by the Houston Colt .45s (the Astros' original nickname) in 1963 out of the Texas Tech University. A native of Abilene, Texas, he attended Abilene High School. Harrison was 24 years old when he entered the majors with the Astros in . He was a good athlete with an excellent glove work, who unfortunately lacked the prototypical power for a first baseman. His most productive season came in 1966, when he posted career numbers in games (119), batting average (.256), runs (52), RBI (52), hits (111) and extra-base hits (34), including three four-hit games. But in 1967 Harrison became expendable with the emergence of Doug Rader at first base. (Rader actually be ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bob Aspromonte
Robert Thomas Aspromonte (born June 19, 1938) is an American former professional baseball player and business entrepreneur. He played as a third baseman in Major League Baseball in and then from to , most prominently as a member of the newly formed Houston Colt .45s expansion team where, he became the regular third baseman for the first seven seasons of the young franchise (which would later change the name to Astros). As well as being the first-ever batter for Houston, he was also the last Brooklyn Dodger to appear in a major league game. He also played for the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. After his athletic career, he went on to become a successful businessman in Houston, Texas. In 2019, Aspromonte was among the inaugural class of inductees to the Houston Astros Hall of Fame. In 2005 he was inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame and in 2011, he was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame. He is the younger brother of former MLB player and manag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Morgan
Joe Leonard Morgan (September 19, 1943 – October 11, 2020) was an American professional baseball second baseman who played 22 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Colt .45s / Astros, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Oakland Athletics from 1963 to 1984. He won two World Series championships with the Reds in 1975 and 1976 and was also named the National League Most Valuable Player in each of those years. Considered one of the greatest second basemen of all time, Morgan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1990. After retiring as an active player, Morgan became a baseball broadcaster for the Reds, Giants, ABC, and ESPN, as well as a stint in the mid-to-late 1990s on NBC's postseason telecasts, teamed with Bob Costas and Bob Uecker. He hosted a weekly nationally syndicated radio show on Sports USA, while serving as a special advisor to the Reds. Playing career Morgan was African American and the oldest of six chil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Nicholson
David Lawrence Nicholson (August 29, 1939 – February 25, 2023) was an American professional baseball outfielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles ( and ), Chicago White Sox (–), Houston Astros () and Atlanta Braves (). Nicholson was known for his towering, although infrequent, home runs. In , he hit a home run measured at over the left-field roof of Chicago's Comiskey Park. Nicholson was born in St. Louis, Missouri, where he graduated from Southwest High School. He was signed as an amateur by the Orioles to a bonus contract, reportedly worth $105,000, on January 26, 1958. Baseball career Nicholson threw and batted right-handed, and was listed as tall and . In , his second season in the Baltimore farm system, Nicholson batted .298 for their Aberdeen Pheasants affiliate (managed by Earl Weaver) with 35 home runs, tied for the lead in the Class C Northern League. The following year saw Nicholson promoted all the way to Triple-A, and his ML ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jimmy Wynn
James Sherman Wynn (March 12, 1942March 26, 2020), nicknamed "The Toy Cannon", was an American professional baseball player. He played 15 seasons as a center fielder; he spent ten of his fifteen seasons with the Houston Colt .45s / Astros before playing for four other teams. Wynn was nicknamed "The Toy Cannon" because his bat was described as having a lot of "pop" for his small size at and . Professional career Minor leagues Wynn's career started in 1962 when the Cincinnati Reds signed him as an amateur free agent after he attended Taft High School. He played that season with the Tampa Tarpons in the Florida State League. He played mostly at third base, batting .290 with 14 home runs. After the season, he was drafted by the then Houston Colt .45s in the 1962 first-year minor league player draft. Houston Astros (1963–1973) Wynn began the 1963 season with the Double-A San Antonio Bullets in the Texas League, and while there split his time between shortstop and third ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonny Jackson
Roland Thomas "Sonny" Jackson (born July 9, 1944) is an American former baseball shortstop and outfielder for the Houston Colt .45's / Astros (1963–67) and Atlanta Braves (1968–74). Jackson led the National League in singles (160) and sacrifice hits (27) in 1966. He helped the Braves win the NL Western Division in 1969. In 12 seasons he played in 936 games and had 3,055 at bats, 396 runs, 767 hits, 81 doubles, 28 triples, 7 home runs, 162 RBI, 126 stolen bases, 250 walks, .251 batting average, .308 on-base percentage, .303 slugging percentage, 925 total bases, 57 sacrifice hits, 17 sacrifice flies and 11 intentional walks. Jackson's best year at the plate came in his "rookie" season of 1966. Although he had played in the "Big Leagues" for parts of seasons before, Jackson qualified as a "rookie" in 1966. He had a .292 batting average and three home runs in 596 trips to the plate. The same year he stole 49 bases, which tied the then-MLB rookie single-season record set by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lee Maye
Arthur Lee Maye (December 11, 1934 – July 17, 2002) was an American Major League Baseball player. He played eleven seasons in the majors as an outfielder for the Milwaukee Braves (1959–1965), Houston Astros (1965–1966), Cleveland Indians (1967–1969), Washington Senators (1969–1970), and Chicago White Sox (1970–1971). Maye was also well known as a rhythm & blues singer. He was the lead singer of the Los Angeles-based doo-wop group Arthur Lee Maye and the Crowns in the 1950s. Career overview Baseball In a 13-year Major League Baseball career Maye played for the Milwaukee Braves, Houston Astros, Cleveland Indians, Washington Senators, and the Chicago White Sox. From 1961 to 1966, and again in 1969, he started in more than half of his team's games, with a high of 133 games started in 1964. Maye was also used quite often as a pinch-hitter during his 13-season career. In 1964, playing for the Milwaukee Braves, Maye had personal career-highs in almost every categor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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