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2004 Houston Astros Season
The 2004 Houston Astros season was the 43rd season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas. Five years removed from opening Minute Maid Park, the Astros hosted the All-Star Game, which was the first held in Houston since 1986. Having limped into the All-Star break with a 44–44 record, Phil Garner was named to replace Jimy Williams as manager. The Astros finished second in the Central division and captured the NL Wild Card. The Astros won a postseason series for the first time in franchise history by defeating the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series (NLDS), scoring an NLDS-record 36 runs. Roger Clemens won the NL Cy Young Award, becoming the fourth pitcher to win the award in both leagues, and the only one with seven overall. Offseason *November 3, 2003: Traded Billy Wagner to the Philadelphia Phillies for Brandon Duckworth, Taylor Buchholz, and Ezequiel Astacio. *December 16, 2003: Signed free agent starting pitcher Andy Pettite. * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
National League Central
The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League East (the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals). When the division was created in 1994, the Pirates were originally supposed to stay in the East while the Atlanta Braves were to be moved to the Central from the West. However, the Braves, wanting to form a natural rivalry with the expansion Florida Marlins, requested to remain in the East. Despite the Marlins offering to go to the Central, the Pirates instead gave up their spot in the East to the Braves. Since then, the Pirates have tried several times unsuccessfully to be placed back in the East. In 1998, the NL Central became the largest division in Major League Baseball when the Milwaukee Brewers were moved in from the American League Central. In 2013, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alex Treviño
Alejandro Treviño Castro (born August 26, 1957) is a Mexican former professional baseball catcher. He is the younger brother of former Major League Baseball outfielder Bobby Treviño. Early years Treviño was born in Monterrey, Nuevo León, Mexico. He was ten years old when his brother debuted with the California Angels in , and by the time he was fifteen years old, he began playing professional baseball himself, with Ciudad Victoria Henequneros in the Mexican Center League. He was sixteen years old when the New York Mets purchased his contract from Ciudad Victoria. Originally an infielder in Mexico, he was moved behind the plate his first season with the Appalachian League Marion Mets. He batted .237 with seven home runs & 108 runs batted in in the Mets' farm system when he received a September call up in . New York Mets He made his major league debut on September 11, catching Mardie Cornejo in the ninth. His first at bat came pinch hitting against the Philadelphia Phillies o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Taylor Buchholz
Taylor Buchholz (born October 13, 1981) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. Biography Buchholz stands 6 feet 4 inches tall, and weighs 220 lbs. He bats and throws right-handed. He grew up and lives in Springfield, Pennsylvania. He is a distant relative of pitcher Clay Buchholz. Baseball career Houston Astros Buchholz started out as a minor leaguer for the Philadelphia Phillies. In 2003, he was dealt with Ezequiel Astacio and Brandon Duckworth to the Astros for all-star closer Billy Wagner. Originally forgotten by many fans due to Astacio and Duckworth both quickly being brought up to the majors, Buchholz proceeded to impress scouts in the minors, showing promise for the future. After going 6-0 with a 4.81 ERA in 20 games for the Astros Triple A Affiliate Round Rock Express in 2005, Buchholz was called up to the Astros main roster in the 2006 season. His first success came in his second major league appearance in what was almost a complete-game ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brandon Duckworth
Brandon J. Duckworth (born January 23, 1976) is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who is currently a scout. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Philadelphia Phillies, Houston Astros, and Kansas City Royals, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Since 2014, Duckworth has worked for the New York Yankees professional scouting department. Career Duckworth graduated from Kearns High School in Kearns, Utah, in 1994. He attended the College of Southern Idaho and California State University, Fullerton. In 1997, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Brewster Whitecaps of the Cape Cod Baseball League. On August 13, 1997, Duckworth signed with the Philadelphia Phillies as an amateur free agent. He made his MLB debut with the Phillies on August 7, 2001, in a home game versus the San Diego Padres, at Philadelphia's Veterans Stadium. From 2001 through 2003, Duckworth compiled a 15–18 win–loss record. On Novembe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2004 Philadelphia Phillies Season
The 2004 Philadelphia Phillies season was the 122nd season in the history of the franchise. The Phillies finished in second-place in the National League East with a record of 86–76, ten games behind the Atlanta Braves, and six games behind the NL wild-card champion Houston Astros. The Phillies were managed by their former shortstop Larry Bowa (85–75) and Gary Varsho (1–1), who replaced Bowa on the penultimate day of the season. The Phillies played their first season of home games at Citizens Bank Park, which opened April 12, with the visiting Cincinnati Reds defeating the Phillies, 4–1. Offseason *November 3, 2003: Billy Wagner was traded by the Houston Astros to the Philadelphia Phillies for Brandon Duckworth, Taylor Buchholz, and Ezequiel Astacio. *January 15, 2004: A. J. Hinch signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies. Regular season A season of high expectations due to notable offseason moves was a disappointment, costing manager Larry Bowa his job towa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Wagner
William Edward Wagner (born July 25, 1971), nicknamed "Billy the Kid", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He pitched for the Houston Astros (1995–2003), Philadelphia Phillies (2004–2005), New York Mets (2006–2009), Boston Red Sox (2009), and Atlanta Braves (2010). Wagner is one of only six major league relief pitchers to accumulate at least 400 career saves. A left-handed batter and thrower, Wagner stands tall and weighs . A natural-born right-hander, Wagner learned to throw left-handed after fracturing his arm twice in his youth. His 11.9 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched ratio (K/9) is the highest of any major league pitcher with at least 800 innings pitched. He was a seven-time All-Star and the 1999 National League (NL) Rolaids Relief Man Award winner. He finished in the top ten in saves in the NL ten times, and in the top ten in games finished nine times. Early life Wagner was born to 16-year-o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cy Young Award
The Cy Young Award is given annually to the best pitchers in Major League Baseball (MLB), one each for the American League (AL) and National League (NL). The award was first introduced in 1956 by Baseball Commissioner Ford Frick in honor of Hall of Fame pitcher Cy Young, who died in 1955. The award was originally given to the single best pitcher in the major leagues, but in 1967, after the retirement of Frick, the award was given to one pitcher in each league. Each league's award is voted on by members of the Baseball Writers' Association of America, with one representative from each team. As of the 2010 season, each voter places a vote for first, second, third, fourth, and fifth place among the pitchers of each league. The formula used to calculate the final scores is a weighted sum of the votes. The pitcher with the highest score in each league wins the award. If two pitchers receive the same number of votes, the award is shared. From 1970 to 2009, writers voted for three pitche ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roger Clemens
William Roger Clemens (born August 4, 1962), nicknamed "Rocket", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 24 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily with the Boston Red Sox. Clemens was one of the most dominant pitchers in major league history, tallying 354 wins, a 3.12 earned run average (ERA), and 4,672 strikeouts, the third-most all time. An 11-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion, he won seven Cy Young Awards during his career, more than any other pitcher in history. Clemens was known for his fierce competitive nature and hard-throwing pitching style, which he used to intimidate batters. Clemens debuted in MLB in 1984 with the Red Sox, whose pitching staff he anchored for 12 years. In 1986, he won the American League (AL) Cy Young Award, the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award, and the All-Star Game MVP Award, and he struck out an MLB-record 20 batters in a single game. After the 1996 season, in which he achieved his sec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2004 National League Division Series
The 2004 National League Division Series (NLDS), the opening round of the 2004 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, October 5, and ended on Monday, October 11, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. They were: *(1) St. Louis Cardinals (Central Division champion, 105–57) vs. (3) Los Angeles Dodgers (Western Division champion, 93–69): Cardinals win series, 3–1. *(2) Atlanta Braves (Eastern Division champion, 96–66) vs. (4) Houston Astros (Wild Card, 92–70): Astros win series, 3–2.The higher seed (in parentheses) had the home field advantage. Although the team with the best record was normally intended to play the wild card team, the Cardinals played the Dodgers, rather than the wild card Astros, because the Cardinals and Astros are in the same division. The National League division and wild card races were some of the most exciting in the wild-card era, as the National League West ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
2004 Atlanta Braves Season
The 2004 Atlanta Braves season marked the franchise's 39th season in Atlanta and 134th overall. The Braves won their 10th consecutive division title, finishing 10 games ahead of the second-place Philadelphia Phillies. On September 29, 2004, Bobby Cox won his 2,000th game as a manager. He became the ninth manager to achieve the feat, doing so with a 6-3 win over the New York Mets at Turner Field in the final home game of the year He was named Manager of the Year after the season ended. J. D. Drew replaced Gary Sheffield (lost to the Yankees in free agency) in the outfield, free agent John Thomson joined the rotation, and rookies Adam LaRoche and Charles Thomas saw significant playing time on a younger 2004 Braves team. The Braves would face the Houston Astros in the Division Series (the fourth time that these two teams met in seven years, all of which were won by Atlanta), but the Braves lost three games to two. Offseason * October 25, 2003: DeWayne Wise was signed as a free ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Major League Baseball Wild Card
In Major League Baseball (MLB), the wild card teams are the three teams in each of the two leagues (American and National) that have qualified for the postseason despite failing to win their division. Those teams in each league possess the three best winning percentages in their league after the three division winners. The wild card was first instituted in MLB in 1994, with one wild card team per league advancing to the Division Series in the postseason to face a division winner. In 2012, the system was modified to add a second wild card team per league and pit each league's wild card teams against each other in a play-in game – the MLB Wild Card Game – the winner of which would then advance to the Division Series and play the team with the best record. The two teams with the best records outside of the division champions advanced to the wild card game. The two wild card teams could come out of the same division so there was no guarantee a team that came in second place i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Houston Astros Managers
The Houston Astros are a professional baseball franchise based in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the American League West Division in Major League Baseball. The team joined MLB in 1962 as an expansion team named the Houston Colt .45s and changed their name to the Houston Astros in 1965. The team won their first NL Championship in 2005. Having first played in Colt Stadium (1962–1964), and later in The Astrodome, now known as the Reliant Astrodome (1965–1999), the Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, which was first named The Ballpark at Union Station, since 2000. The franchise is owned by Jim Crane. The current manager is Dusty Baker. There have been 23 managers for the Astros franchise. The team's first manager was Harry Craft, who managed for three seasons. Bill Virdon is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular-season games managed (1066) and the most regular-season game wins (544). A. J. Hinch holds the record for most all-time playoff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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