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1969 Houston Astros Season
The 1969 Houston Astros season was a season in American baseball. The team finished in fifth place in the newly established National League West with a record of 81–81, twelve games behind the Atlanta Braves. It was also the first time in their history that the Astros did not finish below .500. Offseason * October 14, 1968: Nate Colbert was drafted from the Astros by the San Diego Padres as the 18th pick in the 1968 MLB expansion draft. * December 2, 1968: Bo Belinsky was drafted from the Astros by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 1968 rule 5 draft. * December 4, 1968: Mike Cuellar, Enzo Hernández, and Elijah Johnson (minors) were traded by the Astros to the Baltimore Orioles for Curt Blefary and John Mason (minors). * January 22, 1969: Rusty Staub was traded by the Astros to the Montreal Expos for Jesús Alou and Donn Clendenon. Clendenon refused to report to the Astros. The Expos sent Jack Billingham, Skip Guinn, and $100,000 to the Astros on April 8, 1969, as compensati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National League West
The National League West is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed for the 1969 season when the National League expanded to 12 teams by adding the San Diego Padres and the Montreal Expos. For purpose of keeping a regular-season of 162 games, half of the teams were put into the new National League East, East Division and half into the new West Division. Within each division, the teams played 18 games each against their five division mates (90 games), and also 12 games against the teams in the opposite division (72 games), totaling 162 games. Geography Despite the geography, the owners of the Chicago Cubs insisted that their team be placed into the East Division along with the teams in New York City, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh. Also, the owners of the St. Louis Cardinals wanted that team to be in the same division with their natural rivals of the Cubs. The league could have insisted on a purely geographical alignment like the American League did. But ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jim Bouton
James Alan Bouton (; March 8, 1939 – July 10, 2019) was an American professional baseball player. Bouton played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a pitcher for the New York Yankees, Seattle Pilots, Houston Astros, and Atlanta Braves between 1962 and 1978. He was also a best-selling author, actor, activist, sportscaster and one of the creators of Big League Chew. Bouton played college baseball at Western Michigan University, before signing his first professional contract with the Yankees. He was a member of the 1962 World Series champions, appeared in the 1963 MLB All-Star Game, and won both of his starts in the 1964 World Series. Later in his career, he developed and threw a knuckleball. Bouton authored the 1970 baseball book ''Ball Four'', which was a combination diary of his 1969 season and memoir of his years with the Yankees, Pilots, and Astros. Amateur and college career Bouton was born in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Gertrude (Vischer) and George Hempstead Bouton, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
First Baseman
A first baseman, abbreviated 1B, is the player on a baseball or softball team who fields the area nearest first base, the first of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. The first baseman is responsible for the majority of plays made at that base. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the first baseman is assigned the number 3. Also called first sacker or cornerman, the first baseman is ideally a tall player who throws left-handed and possesses good flexibility and quick reflexes. Flexibility is needed because the first baseman receives throws from the other infielders, the catcher and the pitcher after they have fielded ground balls. In order for the runner to be called out, the first baseman must be able to ''stretch'' towards the throw and catch it before the runner reaches first base. First base is often referred to as "the other hot corner"—the "hot corner" being third base—and therefore, like the third baseman, he must hav ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Byron Browne (baseball)
Byron Ellis Browne (born December 27, 1942) is an American former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, and Philadelphia Phillies, between and . He attended Central High School in St. Joseph, MO. Browne was signed by the Pittsburgh Pirates as an amateur free agent, on September 9, 1962, then was drafted by the Cubs from the Pirates in the 1963 first-year draft. In his first Major League Baseball at-bat, on September 9, 1965, Browne lined out in the second inning of Sandy Koufax's perfect game. After a productive rookie season in , Browne played most of for the Double-A Dallas-Fort Worth Spurs. In all, he played in parts of three seasons with the Cubs, hitting .236, with 16 home runs, in 134 games. Browne also led the league in strikeouts in 1966, with 143. Browne was traded by the Cubs to the Astros, on May 4, 1968, in return for Aaron Pointer but only played in 10 games with t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Skip Guinn
Skip or Skips may refer to: Acronyms * SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene * Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol * SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aiding families with sick or developmentally disabled children * System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns, an original system for indexing kanji by the Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary Business * Skip (company), scooter sharing service * Skip Ltd., a Japanese video game developer * SkipTheDishes, food delivery company Characters * Skip Ricter, a character in the movie ''Cars'' * the title character of the autobiography ''My Dog Skip'' by Willie Morris and the film adaptation of the same name * Skip, a minor character from the TV series ''Angel'' * Skip, a character from the British children's show ''Bob the Builder'' * Skips, a character on the American animated series ''Regular Show'' * Skips, on ''Camp Lazlo'', an American animated TV seri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jack Billingham
John Eugene Billingham (born February 21, 1943) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher from through , most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won three National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1972 and 1977. Billingham's 0.36 earned run average over the 1972, 1975 and 1976 World Series was the lowest in World Series history until it was surpassed by Madison Bumgarner in 2014. He also played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers and the Boston Red Sox. In 1984, Billingham was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame. Baseball career Billingham was born in Orlando, Florida and graduated from Winter Park High School in 1961. He believes that he is a distant cousin of Baseball Hall of Fame member Christy Mathewson although, the exact relationship is not known. He was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers as an amateur free ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donn Clendenon
Donn Alvin Clendenon (July 15, 1935 – September 17, 2005) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman from to . He is most notable for his performance during the 1969 World Series when he won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award by hitting three home runs to help lead the team known as the Miracle Mets to an upset victory over the Baltimore Orioles. Early life Six months after Clendenon was born in Neosho, Missouri, his father, Claude, died from leukemia. Claude Clendenon was a mathematics and psychology professor and chairman of the mathematics department at Langston University, an all-black school in Langston, Oklahoma. Clendenon's mother, Helen, demanded high academic achievement from her son. When he was six years old, Clendenon's mother married former Negro league baseball player Nish Williams. In addition to academic excellence, Clendenon's new stepfather decided he was going to make his stepson into a baseb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jesús Alou
Jesús María Rojas Alou (born March 24, 1942) is a Dominican former professional baseball outfielder. During a 15-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, he played for the San Francisco Giants (1963–68), Houston Astros (1969–73; 1978–79), Oakland Athletics (1973–74), and New York Mets (1975). He was the youngest of the trio of baseball-playing brothers that included Felipe and Matty. Alou was considered a better prospect than either of his brothers and received a $4,000 signing bonus. He made his debut at the end of , and his first game, on September 10, was notable in that all three Alou brothers batted in the same inning (they were retired in order). Five days later, for the first time, the three played in the outfield for the Giants at the same time. In his first full year of Major League action in , Alou failed to live up to expectations, hitting only .274 with little power, but on July 10, he went 6–6 with five singles and a home run. Alou was selected b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Montreal Expos
The Montreal Expos (french: link=no, Les Expos de Montréal) were a Canadian professional baseball team based in Montreal, Quebec. The Expos were the first Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located outside the United States. They played in the National League (NL) East division from 1969 until 2004. Following the 2004 season, the franchise relocated to Washington, D.C., and became the Washington Nationals. Immediately after the minor league Triple-A Montreal Royals folded in 1960, political leaders in Montreal sought an MLB franchise, and when the National League evaluated expansion candidates for the 1969 season, it awarded a team to Montreal. Named after the Expo 67 World's Fair, the Expos originally played at Jarry Park Stadium before moving to Olympic Stadium in 1977. The Expos failed to post a winning record in any of their first ten seasons. The team won its only division title in the strike-shortened season, but lost the 1981 National League Championship ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rusty Staub
Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub (April 1, 1944 – March 29, 2018) was an American professional baseball player and television color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball for 23 seasons as a right fielder, designated hitter, and first baseman. A six-time All-Star known for his hitting prowess, Staub produced 2,716 hits over his playing career, just 284 hits shy of the 3,000 hit plateau. He was an original member of the Montreal Expos and the team's first star. Although he played just 518 of his 2,951 games as an Expo, his enduring popularity led them to retire his number in 1993, while the Mets inducted him into their team Hall of Fame in 1986. Playing career Houston Colt .45s/Astros Staub signed his first professional contract with the expansion team Houston Colt .45s organization in 1961. He spent the 1962 season in the Class B Carolina League, and at season's end he was named one of the league's all-stars. Following that season, Staub was signed to a US$100,000 Major ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Curt Blefary
Curtis Leroy "Clank" Blefary (July 5, 1943 – January 28, 2001) was an American professional baseball left fielder who played in Major League Baseball for the Baltimore Orioles (1965–1968), Houston Astros (1969), New York Yankees (1970–1971), Oakland Athletics (1971–1972) and the San Diego Padres (1972). A native of Brooklyn, New York, he batted left-handed and threw right-handed. Career Blefary grew up in Mahwah, New Jersey and attended Mahwah High School. In an eight-season career, Blefary was a .237 hitter with 112 home runs and 382 RBI in 974 games. In his debut year with the Orioles in , Blefary hit .260 with 22 home runs and 70 RBI, winning both the American League Rookie of the Year and The Sporting News Rookie of the Year awards. During the 1965 Winter Meetings, he was one of three players along with Milt Pappas and Jack Baldschun whose names were originally submitted by the Cincinnati Reds in discussions of any transaction which would have sent Frank Robinson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
