The 1965 Houston Astros season was the fourth season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, a member of the National League (NL). Now rebranded as the Astros and having relocated to The Astrodome, the club were known for their first three season as the Colt .45s and were based at Colt Stadium. The Astros entered the 1965 season with a 66–96 record, having finished the previous year in ninth place and 27 games behind the NL pennant and World Series-winning St. Louis Cardinals.
The 1965 season was the first and only full season for Lum Harris as manager, the second in franchise history, having replaced Harry Craft late during the previous year. On April 12, Bob Bruce made the Astros' Opening Day starter, who hosted the Philadelphia Phillies, but were defeated, 2–0.
In the first-ever MLB amateur draft, the Astros' first round selection was shortstop Alex Barrett at fourth overall. Rookie second baseman Joe Morgan established club records on July 8 with six hits—tying the major league record—and 13 total bases for a single game, during a 9–8 defeat to the Milwaukee Braves over 12 innings. Pitcher Turk Farrell represented the Astros at the MLB All-Star Game, his fifth career selection.
The Astros concluded the season with a record of 65–97, a third consecutive in ninth place and 32 games behind the NL pennant and eventual World Series-champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The 97 losses represented a franchise-worst record for Houston at the time, which was one more than the 96 losses the club had for each of their first three seasons of existence. It later matched by the 1975 and 1991 teams, and exceeded in 2011 with 106 losses.
Following the season, Morgan was chosen as The Sporting News NL Rookie Player of the Year—the first Astro be so recognized—and for the Topps All-Star Rookie Team. Hence, Morgan also became the first Astro to be recognized for a full-season award not specific to one position.
Offseason Summary The Houston Colt .45s concluded the 1964 campaign with a record, ranking ninth in the National League (NL), 27 games behind the NL pennant and World Series-winning St. Louis Cardinals. On September 27, 1964, the Colts hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers for the final contest at Colt Stadium, winning 1–0 on a walk-off single by Jimmy Wynn during the bottom of the 12th inning.
On December 1, the Houston club changed its nickname from Colt .45s to Astros. The move resulted from objections by the Colt Firearms Company to the club's sales of novelties bearing the old nickname. Despite the trademark issues, the "Astros" nickname matched the futuristic ambiance of the revolutionary domed stadium. The nickname was also appropriate since Houston was, by then, the home of NASA's astronaut program. The scoreboard retained subliminal references to the old nickname, as it featured electronically animated cowboys firing pistols, with the "bullets" ricocheting around the scoreboard, when an Astros player would hit a home run. Early on, the groundskeepers also wore astronaut spacesuits to promote that futuristic image.
Development and commissioning of the Astrodome
The venue was designed as a defense against the oppressive heat and humidity of the Houston summer. Loosely based on the classic Roman Colosseum, the Astrodome was dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World. As with many stadiums of that era, such as RFK Stadium and Shea Stadium, the Astrodome was a multi-purpose stadium, designed for both football as well as baseball.
Besides its roof, the Astrodome was revolutionary for a number of other reasons, accentuated by accoutrements not prior-featured or rarely seen at sports facilities. Every seat in the venue was theatre-style, the first stadium so configured. Additionally, it was one of the first stadiums allocated with luxury seats and club seating, at the time a relatively new concept in sports venues. It also had an "exploding scoreboard", which would show various animations after a home run or a win, as well as messages and advertising.
Inaugural exhibition game at the Astrodome On April 9, the former Houston Colt .45s took the field and officially became the Houston Astros. They inaugurated indoor baseball in the Astrodome with a 2–1 exhibition win over the New York Yankees. President Lyndon B. Johnson, one of 47,876 total guests in attendance, became the seventh U.S. president to have attended the inaugural game for a stadium. Texas governor John Connally, flanked by National League president Warren Giles and Tamaulipas governor Praxedis Balboa, tossed the ceremonial first pitch.
The Astros' Turk Farrell threw the game's official first pitch and baseball indoors was underway. Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle recorded each of the stadium's first hit, home run, and run scored. During the third inning, catcher Ron Brand smoked a triple for the home team's first hit in their new stadium. Player-coach Nellie Fox, another future Hall of Famer, furnished the first walk-off hit at the Astrodome to settle the contest outright in the bottom of the 12th inning.
Notable transactions January 31, 1965: Bob Watson was signed as an amateur free agent by the Astros.
Regular season Summary Opening Day
+ Inaugural game at the Astrodome Player Position 15 Bob Lillis Shortstop 18 Joe Morgan Second baseman 24 Jimmy Wynn Center fielder 23 Walt Bond First baseman 14 Bob Aspromonte Third baseman 20 Jim Beauchamp Left fielder 28 Joe Gaines Right fielder 7 John Bateman Catcher 30 Bob Bruce Pitcher Final: Philadelphia 2, Houston 0 • Win: Short • Loss: Bruce Attendance: 48,546 Sources:
During a pre-game ceremony on Opening Day and at the regular-season opening ceremony of the Astrodome, April 12, 1965, the Astros officially retired jersey number 32 in honor of former Colt .45s pitcher Jim Umbricht. Umbricht had died on April 8, 1964, following a battle with cancer and having returned to play for Houston the season earlier, in 1963. Aged 33 years old, his jersey number was the first to be retired by the team.
The Astrodome hosted a standing-room-only attendance of 48,546. Distinguished guests included Commissioner Ford Frick, National League President Warren Giles (also at the first exhibition game), and a contingent of NASA personnel, who witnessed baseball's tribute to the Space Age through the Astrodome. There, the Houston Astros hosted the Philadelphia Phillies. Twenty-two of the 24 NASA astronauts were in attendance, and, for the ceremonial first pitch, each simultaneously tossed to one of 22 members of the Astros.
The Philadelphia Phillies won the Astrodome’s regular-season opener, 2–0, behind a shutout by starter Chris Short. He held the Houston Astros to four hits and recorded 11 strikeouts, finishing with a game score of 88. Tony Taylor hit a leadoff double for the first regular-season hit in an indoor Major League game. For Houston, Bob Bruce pitched seven innings and allowed two runs. In the third inning, Dick Allen hit a two-run home run to give Philadelphia the lead, while Joe Morgan recorded Houston’s first regular-season hit in the fourth.
Rest of April On April 15, Jimmy Wynn became involved in two first-time batting events for the Astros as they faced the New York Mets at Shea Stadium. During the bottom of the second inning, Walt Bond and Bob Aspromonte each started with a single, and Bond advanced to third on Aspromonte's hit. Next, Wynn flied out to right fielder Johnny Lewis, who threw out Bond racing home, and catcher Chris Cannizzaro fired to shortstop Roy McMillan, who tagged out Aspromonte and convert the triple play. This was both the first triple play turned against Houston. and first in which they were involved. During the top of the ninth, Wynn drilled the first home run for Houston known as the Astros, a two-run game-tying blast in the top of the ninth off Jack Fisher. However, in the bottom of the tenth inning, Bobby Klaus cranked a Claude Raymond offering for a walk-off home run deep to left field and decide a 5–4 the Mets victory.
Rusty Staub christened the first regular-season walk-off safety at the Astrodome on April 23, singling home Al Spangler in the bottom of the twelfth inning, icing a 4–3 decision over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Dave Giusti plugged the final two frames in relief to secure the victory. Bruce, the Astros starter, logged his first double of the season during the third off his mound opponent, Bob Veale (the National League's reigning strikeout leader), to score John Bateman. Bruce surrendered two runs over innings pitched.
Bob Aspromonte blasted the home team's first home run at the Astrodome on April 24 during the bottom of the sixth off Vern Law of the Pirates. The next inning, Wynn also took Law deep. As a result, a home run event by the home team cued "The Home Spectacular," an animated visual graphics display that quantified on the center field wall.
May On May 1, the Astros swept a doubleheader of the Chicago Cubs, extending a winning streak to ten games for a club record. Though Houston would tie this record over a number of occasions, it remained the record until 1999.
Two prominent Astros obtained milestone firsts on May 8 at Wrigley Field. Joe Morgan connected for his first major league home run to deep right field. The blast occurred in the top of the sixth inning off Lindy McDaniel of Chicago, extending the Astros' lead to 8–5. Meanwhile, right-hander Larry Dierker procured his first Major League victory through finishing off the final innings of relief of Don Nottebart. Seven of the Astros starting nine collected multi-hit games as Rusty Staub and Jimmy Wynn also went deep for an 11–6 Houston triumph. Wynn doubled and led the Astros with 3 RBI.
For the first time, on May 22, ABC's broadcast of the Major League Baseball Game of the Week featured the Astrodome. Viewers were thrilled by a massive Willie Mays home run that propelled the San Francisco Giants over the Astros to win the contest, 10–1. On May 23, the Giants, able to leverage a three-run, inside-the-park home run—a result of the ball getting caught in the roof of the Astrodome—won, 5–2, over Houston. This was the final game as a Houston Astro for starter Ken Johnson, who received news after the contest that had been traded to the Milwaukee Braves for outfielder Lee Maye.
Due to pop flies routinely misjudged as induced by the glare through the roof of the Astrodone, clear glass panes costing about $20,000 were installed on May 24. Consequently, these conditions created inadequate lighting to sustain the grass, which led to the installation of AstroTurf the following season.
Bpb Bruce struck out a then-club record 13 on May 26, tying Turk Farrell's effort on May 10, 1963. Bruce surrendered five hits and three runs in a complete game as the Astros triumphed over the Cincinnati Reds, 8–3. Jimmy Wynn homered and tripled, wound up just a double short of hitting for the cycle, and knocked in four runners. This record remained until June 25, 1966, when Mike Cuellar fanned 15.
June With the scored tied 2–2 on June 4 going into the ninth inning, Houston Astros catcher Ron Brand connected for a three-run homer into the left field bleachers off Bob Gibson for the decisive runs in an Astros' 5–2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. After 140 relief appearances, on June 6, Claude Raymond made the first of seven starts over his major league career. He tossed a complete game against the Cardinals. holding them to just seven hits and one run as the Houston won, 10–1.