1970 Houston Astros season

1970 Houston Astros
LeagueNational League
DivisionWest
BallparkAstrodome
CityHouston, Texas
Record79–83 (.488)
Divisional place4th
OwnersRoy Hofheinz
General managersSpec Richardson
ManagersHarry Walker
TelevisionKTRK-TV
RadioKPRC (AM)
(Gene Elston, Loel Passe, Harry Kalas)

The 1970 Houston Astros season was the ninth season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their sixth as the Astros, their ninth in the National League (NL), second in the NL West division, and sixth at The Astrodome. The Astros entered the season having posted a record of 81–81, for fifth place and 12 games behind the division-champion Atlanta Braves.

On April 7, pitcher Larry Dierker made his second Opening Day start for the Astros, who defeated the San Francisco Giants at Candlestick Park, 8–5. The Astros' first round draft pick in the amateur draft was pitcher Randy Scarbery, at third overall, and in the fourth round, they selected outfielder Greg Gross.

Second baseman Joe Morgan and shortstop Denis Menke represented the Astros at the MLB All-Star Game, the second career selection for both.

The Astros concluded the season with a record of 79–83, for fourth place and 23 games behind the division-champion and NL pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds in the NL West.

Third baseman Doug Rader was awarded the first of five consecutive Gold Gloves.

Offseason

Regular season

Summary

April

Opening Day starting lineup[3][4]
18 Joe Morgan 2B
 9 Joe Pepitone RF
24 Jimmy Wynn CF
33 John Mayberry 1B
11 Denis Menke SS
10 Tommy Davis LF
12 Doug Rader 3B
 7 Johnny Edwards  C
49 Larry Dierker  P
Venue: Candlestick Park • HOU 8, SFG 5

The Astros launched five home runs on April 12 to dump Phil Niekro and the Atlanta Braves, 8–3. In the third inning, Jimmy Wynn blasted one unforgettable rocket which made contact in the gold upper reserved seats (section 738C, row 6, seat 3), outdoing his own effort just earlier in the game. In the first inning, Wynn had launched a home run into the purple seats. Tommy Davis, Joe Pepitone and Doug Rader each went yard, helping starter Larry Dierker remain in complete command the whole evening.[5]

June

Center Fielder César Cedeño made his major league debut on June 20 and collected two hits as Houston rallied to defeat the Atlanta Braves, 9–8.[6]

July

On July 6, César Cedeño connected for his first major league home run, off Claude Osteen of the Los Angeles Dodgers, for two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.[7] The blast game Houston a 4–3 lead. However, the game proceeded to extra innings, when the Dodgers harangued Jim Bouton for four runs, before they overcame a three-run rally led by Pepitone, Rader, and Johnny Edwards in the bottom of the tenth to win, 10–8. [8]

September

During a 10-day span commencing September 7 on a West Coast road trip, 24-year old slugger Bob Watson crushed his first two career grand slams.[9] The first blast was at San Diego Stadium off a Ron Willis offering during the opener of a doubleheader, a 10–5 triumph over the Padres.[10] Ten days later at Dodger Stadium, Watson tagged Jim Brewer for a grand slam in the 7th inning that snapped 5–5 tie and was a key play in an Astros 10–5 victory over Los Angeles.[11]

Performance overview

The Astros concluded the season with a 79–83 (.488) record, for fourth place and 23 games behind the NL West division-champion and NL pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds.[12] Though Houston's record declined by two victories from the year prior, this represented the first time in franchise history they had won at least 79 contests successively, following the period during which they lost at least 90 games in each of their first seven seasons of play. Moreoover, the 1970 campaign was also the first in which Houston had closed out as high as fourth place in the standings.[13]

Third baseman Doug Rader was recognized with his first career Gold Glove Award, thus being first Houston player awarded since pitcher Bobby Shantz in 1962. Shantz played for the Colt .45s for approximately the first month of the franchise's inaugural season prior to being traded.[14][15]

Season standings

NL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Cincinnati Reds 102 60 .630 — 57‍–‍24 45‍–‍36
Los Angeles Dodgers 87 74 .540 14½ 39‍–‍42 48‍–‍32
San Francisco Giants 86 76 .531 16 48‍–‍33 38‍–‍43
Houston Astros 79 83 .488 23 44‍–‍37 35‍–‍46
Atlanta Braves 76 86 .469 26 42‍–‍39 34‍–‍47
San Diego Padres 63 99 .389 39 31‍–‍50 32‍–‍49

Record vs. opponents

1970 National League record

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Team ATL CHC CIN HOU LAD MON NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL
Atlanta — 8–4 5–13 9–9 6–12 6–6 6–6 7–5 6–6 9–9 7–11 7–5
Chicago 4–8 — 7–5 7–5 6–6 13–5 7–11 9–9 8–10 9–3 7–5 7–11
Cincinnati 13–5 5–7 — 15–3 13–5 7–5 8–4 7–5 8–4 8–10 9–9 9–3
Houston 9–9 5–7 3–15 — 8–10 8–4 6–6 4–8 6–6 14–4 10–8 6–6
Los Angeles 12–6 6–6 5–13 10–8 — 8–4 7–5 6–5 6–6 11–7 9–9 7–5
Montreal 6–6 5–13 5–7 4–8 4–8 — 10–8 11–7 9–9 6–6 6–6 7–11
New York 6–6 11–7 4–8 6–6 5–7 8–10 — 13–5 6–12 6–6 6–6 12–6
Philadelphia 5-7 9–9 5–7 8–4 5–6 7–11 5–13 — 4–14 9–3 8–4 8–10
Pittsburgh 6–6 10–8 4–8 6–6 6–6 9–9 12–6 14–4 — 6–6 4–8 12–6
San Diego 9–9 3–9 10–8 4–14 7–11 6–6 6–6 3–9 6–6 — 5–13 4–8
San Francisco 11–7 5–7 9–9 8–10 9–9 6–6 6–6 4–8 8–4 13–5 — 7–5
St. Louis 5–7 11–7 3–9 6–6 5–7 11–7 6–12 10–8 6–12 8–4 5–7 —


Notable transactions

Roster

1970 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Other batters

Manager

Coaches

Game log

Regular season

Legend
  Astros win
  Astros loss
  Postponement
  Eliminated from playoff race
Bold Astros team member
1970 regular season game log: 79–83 (Home: 44–37; Away: 35–46)[18]
April: 7–14 (Home: 6–4; Away: 1–10)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
14 April 20 @ Pirates
15 April 21 @ Pirates
16 April 22 @ Pirates
20 April 28 @ Reds
21 April 29 @ Reds
May: 14–15 (Home: 6–7; Away: 8–8)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
28 May 7 Pirates
29 May 8 Pirates
30 May 9 Pirates
31 May 10 Pirates
41 May 21 Reds
42 May 22 Reds
43 May 23 Reds
44 May 24 Reds
June: 12–14 (Home: 8–7; Away: 4–7)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
72 June 26 Reds
73 June 27 Reds
74 June 28 Reds
July: 13–14 (Home: 7–7; Away: 6–7)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
78 (1) July 3 @ Reds
79 (2) July 3 @ Reds
80 July 4 @ Reds
81 July 5 @ Reds
— July 14 7:15 p.m. CDT 41st All-Star Game in Cincinnati, OH
93 July 20 Pirates
94 July 21 Pirates
97 July 24 @ Pirates
98 July 25 @ Pirates
99 July 26 @ Pirates
August: 16–13 (Home: 7–7; Away: 9–6)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
September: 16–13 (Home: 9–5; Away: 7–8)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
147 September 15 Reds
148 September 16 Reds
153 September 21 @ Reds
154 September 22 @ Reds
155 September 23 @ Reds
October: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Away: 0–0)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak

Detailed records

Player stats

Batting

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
C Johnny Edwards 140 458 101 .221 7 49
1B Bob Watson 97 327 89 .272 11 61
2B Joe Morgan 144 548 147 .268 8 52
SS Denis Menke 154 562 171 .304 13 92
3B Doug Rader 156 576 145 .252 25 87
LF Tommy Davis 57 213 60 .282 3 30
CF Jimmy Wynn 157 554 156 .282 27 88
RF Jesús Alou 117 458 140 .306 1 44

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
César Cedeño 90 355 110 .310 7 42
Joe Pepitone 75 279 70 .251 14 35
Norm Miller 90 226 54 .239 4 29
Marty Martínez 75 150 33 .220 0 12
John Mayberry 50 148 32 .216 5 14
Larry Howard 31 88 27 .307 2 16
Keith Lampard 53 72 17 .236 0 5
Héctor Torres 31 65 16 .246 0 5
César Gerónimo 47 37 9 .243 0 2
Jim Beauchamp 31 26 5 .192 1 4
Don Bryant 15 24 5 .208 0 3
Gary Geiger 5 4 1 .250 0 0
Leon McFadden 2 0 0 ---- 0 0

Pitching

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
Larry Dierker 37 269.2 16 12 3.87 191
Don Wilson 29 184.1 11 6 3.91 94
Tom Griffin 23 111.1 3 13 5.74 72
Wade Blasingame 13 77.2 3 3 3.48 55
Ken Forsch 4 24.0 1 2 5.63 13

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
Jack Billingham 46 187.2 13 9 3.98 134
Denny Lemaster 39 162.0 7 12 4.56 103
Ron Cook 41 82.1 4 4 3.72 50
Jim Bouton 29 73.1 4 6 5.40 49
Scipio Spinks 5 13.2 0 1 9.88 6

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
Fred Gladding 63 7 4 18 4.06 46
Jim Ray 52 6 3 5 3.26 67
Jack DiLauro 42 1 3 3 4.28 23
George Culver 32 3 3 3 3.20 31
Mike Marshall 4 0 1 0 8.44 5
Dan Osinski 3 0 1 0 9.82 1
Buddy Harris 2 0 0 0 5.68 2

Awards and achievements

Grand slams

No. Date Astros batter Venue Inning Pitcher Opposing team Box
1 September 7 Bob Watson San Diego Stadium 6 Ron Willis San Diego Padres [10]
2 September 17 Bob Watson Dodger Stadium 9† Jim Brewer Los Angeles Dodgers [11]
₰—Tied score or took lead

Awards

Minor league system

See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Oklahoma City 89ers American Association Hub Kittle
AA Columbus Astros Southern League Jimmy Williams
A Cocoa Astros Florida State League Tony Pacheco
A-Short Season Williamsport Astros New York–Penn League Dick Bogard
Rookie Covington Astros Appalachian League Dick Smith
Championships

References

  1. ^ a b "Mike Marshall stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  2. ^ a b "Joe Pepitone stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  3. ^ "Houston Astros (8) vs San Francisco Giants (5) box score". Baseball Almanac. April 7, 1970. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  4. ^ "1970 Houston Astros uniform numbers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  5. ^ Hulsey, Bob. "This date in Astros history". Astros Daily. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  6. ^ Schwarzberg, Seth (June 20, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 20". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  7. ^ "César Cedeño career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  8. ^ "Los Angeles Dodgers (10) vs Houston Astros (8) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. July 6, 1970. Retrieved November 5, 2025.
  9. ^ "Bob Watson career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  10. ^ a b "Houston Astros (10) vs San Diego Padres (5) box score—Game 1". Baseball-Reference.com. September 7, 1970. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  11. ^ a b "Houston Astros (10) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (5) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. September 17, 1970. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  12. ^ "1970 National League team statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 23, 2025.
  13. ^ "Houston Astros team history & encyclopedia". Baaseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 13, 2025.
  14. ^ "National League Gold Glove Award winners". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference, LLC. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  15. ^ "Bobby Shantz stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  16. ^ "Greg Gross stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  17. ^ "Jim Bouton stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  18. ^ "1970 Houston Astros Schedule & Results". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 5, 2025.
  19. ^ "Gold Glove third basemen". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  20. ^ McTaggart, Brian (December 21, 2009). "Bourn highlights Astros' awards season". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  21. ^ "1970 All-Star Game box score". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
  22. ^ "List of Southern League past champions". Minor League Baseball. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
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