1976 Houston Astros season

15th season in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros March 2026 November 2013 Houston Astros 1976 National League West Astrodome Houston, Texas 80 82 y 3rd Roy Hofheinz Tal Smith Bill Virdon KPRC-TV KPRC (AM)(Gene Elston, Loel Passe, Bob Prince) The 1976 Houston Astros season was the 15th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 12th as the Astros, 15th in the National League (NL), eighth in the NL West division, and 12th at The Astrodome. They entered the season as having tied for the most losses in franchise history, at the time, with a 65–97 record, and the most games behind first place, 43 1 2 behind the division-champion and World Series-winning Cincinnati Reds. On April 8, J. R. Richard made his first of five consecutive Opening Day starts for Houston, at Riverfront Stadium to face Cincinnati, but were defeated, 11–5. The Astros attained an all-time franchise record 25 hits on May 30.Since tied multiple times. Through 2025. The Astros' first-round selection in the amateur draft was left-handed pitcher Floyd Bannister at first overall, Houston's first-ever number one overall draft pick. During the eighth round of the draft, Houston selected right-hander Dave Smith. On July 9, Larry Dierker tossed the fifth no-hitter in franchise history, a 6–0 win over the Montreal Expos. Center fielder César Cedeño and pitcher Ken Forsch were selected to the MLB All-Star Game; it was the fourth time Cedeño and first for Forsch. Pitcher Robin Roberts, who briefly played for Houston in 1965 and 1966, became the first former Astro to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. On August 9, Cedeño hit for the cycle at Busch Memorial Stadium, the second of two he hit for the Astros, highlighting a 13–4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Cedeño at the time had been the only Houston Astro to hit for the cycle. The Astros concluded the regular season third in the NL West with a record of 80–82, 22 games behind Cincinnati, who repeated as World Series champions. Cedeño also won his fifth career Gold Glove Award following the season. Offseason The Astros concluded the 1975 campaign with a record of 64 97 1 y, in sixth and last place in the NL West, 43 1 2 behind the division-champion and World Series-winning Cincinnati Reds.https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1975.shtml 1975 National League team statistics Baseball Reference October 12, 2026 Their record dropped by 16 losses from 1974, tying a then-club record for losses, first set in 1965.https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/ Houston Astros team history & encyclopedia Baaseball-Reference.com October 13, 2025 Center fielder César Cedeño won a fourth consecutive Gold Glove Award,https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_ggnl.shtml Gold Glove outfielders in the National League Baseball Almanac October 14, 2025 joining former teammate Doug Rader to have won at least as many, winnning five consecutively at third base.https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_nl.shtml MLB Gold Glove Award winners—National League Baseball-Reference.com October 25, 2025 Transactions October 24, 1975: The Astros traded players to be named later to the Cincinnati Reds for Joaquín Andújar. The Astros completed the trade by sending Luis Sánchez and Carlos Alfonso (minors) to the Reds on December 12.https://www.baseball-reference.com/a/andujjo01.shtml Joaquín Andújar stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball-Reference.com September 6, 2025 December 6, 1975: The Astros sent Milt May, Dave Roberts and Jim Crawford to the Detroit Tigers for Leon Roberts, Terry Humphrey, Gene Pentz and Mark Lemongello.https://www.baseball-reference.com/c/crawfji01.shtml Jim Crawford stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball-Reference.com October 16, 2025 Exhibition play The Astros participated in the first-ever baseball game ever hosted at the Louisiana Superdome, in New Orleans, on April 6, 1976, matching up against the Minnesota Twins. Built for American football, the new stadium was the home of the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL).Home in the Dome http://www.sportsmogul.com/vbulletin2/attachment.php?attachmentid=30795&d=1275411938 Associated Press November 2, 2025 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110928090028/http://www.sportsmogul.com/vbulletin2/attachment.php?attachmentid=30795&d=1275411938 September 28, 2011 In front of just over 10,000 fans, the Astros defeated the Twins, 10–5. Cliff Johnson propelled Houston's offense with three hits, including blasting a home run. Not engineered for baseball, primary issues included a concrete warning track, gridiron sidelines down third base, and poor visibility led to a scoreboard being shut off.Hulsey Bob https://www.astrosdaily.com/history/thisdate/index.html This date in Astros history Astros Daily September 7, 2025 Regular season Summary April + Opening Day starting lineup Uniform Uniform number Player Position 26 Wilbur Howard Left fielder 23 Enos Cabell Third baseman 28 César Cedeño Center fielder 27 Bob Watson First baseman 6 Cliff Johnson Catcher 21 Greg Gross Right fielder 10 Larry Milbourne Second baseman 14 Roger Metzger Shortstop 50 J. R. Richard Pitcher Venue: Riverfront Stadium • Cincinnati 11, Houston 5 Sources:https://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=197604080CN5 Houston Astros (5) vs Cincinnati Reds (11) box score Baseball Almanac April 8, 1976 October 4, 2025https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1976-uniform-numbers.shtml 1976 Houston Astros uniform numbers Baseball-Reference.com October 4, 2025 The Cincinnati Reds hosted the Astros at Riverfront Stadium for Opening Day on April 8. J. R. Richard made his first career Opening Day start,https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/opening.shtml Houston Astros Opening Day starters Baseball-Reference.com October 26, 2025 which lasted four innings as he gave up four runs. Rookie José Sosa relieved and was ambushed for six hits and five runs over just one inning. Former Astro Joe Morgan collected three hits and scored three runs. During the top of the sixth, César Cedeño and Bob Watson connected for successive home runs off Reds starter Gary Nolan to highlight the Astros offense. However, Cincinnati took the opener, 11–5.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197604080.shtml Houston Astros (5) vs Cincinnati Reds (11) box score Baseball-Reference.com April 8, 1976 October 28, 2025 Enos Cabell became just the third player to start at third base on Opening Day for Houston. Cabell succeeded Bob Aspromonte, who started each of the first seven in club history (1962 to 1968), and Doug Rader, who started each of the next seven (1969 to 1975). Twice of behalf of Ken Forsch's efforts on April 15, the Astros were rescued from reversal by the San Diego Padres. With Houston leading 5–4 in the ninth inning and the tying runner aboard, Forsch induced Ted Kubiak to ground to second for the inevitable end to the contest, except that catcher Cliff Johnson was checked for interference, awarding Kubiak first base. Now facing Merv Rettenmund, Forsch induced a fly ball to Greg Gross in right field that he converted to the final out to polish off the victory. From April 17 to May 14, César Cedeño authored a career-high 19-game hitting streak, batting .378.Smith David https://www.astrosdaily.com/history/hitstreak.html Houston Astros hitting streaks Astros Daily Retrosheet October 3, 2025 Infused with consistency, Cedeño tallied nine multi-hit games, none with more than two. He also swatted five home runs, collected 19 runs batted in (RBI) eight stolen bases, .662 slugging percentage (SLG) and 1.080 on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS).https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=cedence01&t=b&year=1976 César Cedeño 1976 batting game logs Baseball-Reference.com November 5, 2025 The following year, he aggregated another streak of 22, from August 25—September 21, 1977, making him the only player in club history with two hitting streaks each of 19 games or more. On April 21, J. R. Richard tossed the first 10 innings of a 16-inning, eventual 1–0 shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Richard struck out seven, walked three and allowed four hits for a game score of 88, his highest of the season. José Cruz, who had pinch hit for Richard in the bottom of the 10th, roped a walk-off single off Stan Wall to score Larry Milbourne in the bottom of the 16th inning. Mike Barlow, who entered for Houston for the final inning, picked up his second victory.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197604210.shtml Los Angeles Dodgers (0) vs Houston Astros (1) box score Baseball-Reference.com April 21, 1976 October 28, 2025 This was the Astros' longest game of the season in terms of innings played and second longest by time.https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1976-schedule-scores.shtml 1976 Houston Astros schedule Baseball-Reference.com October 28, 2025 May On May 7, J. R. Richard tossed a complete game six-hitter against the St. Louis Cardinals to lead 3–1 Astros victory. Richard registered a game score of 71, six walks and six strikeouts. José Cruz propelled the offense with 2 hits and 2 RBI, Roger Metzger and Wilbur Wood each added two hits and Richard added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197605090.shtml Houston Astros (10) vs St Louis Cardinals (5) box score Baseball-Reference.com May 7, 1976 November 3, 2025 Houston's catching corps combined to hit for the cycle on May 9 at Busch Memorial Stadium during a 10–5 beating of St. Louis. Johnson pounded four hits—including two singles, a double and a home run—before spraining his ankle. Backup Skip Jutze completed the effort with a triple in the seventh inning. Meanwhile, Enos Cabell turned four at bats into three hits. Gross drew a base on balls in each of his four plate appearances. José Cruz smashed his first double of the season. The Astros piled on 13 hits while striking out just once. Larry Dierker (4–3) added another hit and hurled eight solid innings, yielding seven hits and two runs.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197605090.shtml Houston Astros (10) vs St Louis Cardinals (5) box score Baseball-Reference.com May 9, 1976 November 2, 2025 On May 29, Joe Niekro faced brother and fellow knuckleball hurler Phil for the first bout in team history where one player pitched against his brother. Joe led the Astros to a 4–3 triumph over Phil and the Atlanta Braves. With this win, Joe improved his career record against his brother to 3–2. Nine years earlier, as a member of the Chicago Cubs, Joe had pitched against Phil for the first time, but suffered an 8–3 defeat to the Braves on July 4, 1967. That was the first MLB contest to feature two brothers pitch against each other since Jesse Barnes opposed Virgil on September 11, 1926. The Barnes brothers formed the first four such pitching matchups, but the Niekros hold the major league record with nine total such matchups.https://www.baseball-almanac.com/family/brothers_pitching_matchups.shtml MLB brothers who have pitched against each other Baseball Almanac July 13, 2026 Moreover, the only home run hit by Joe Niekro during his 21-year major league career occurred on May 29, when he connected off his brother, Phil. The drive took place in the seventh inning off a knuckleball during an Astros' 4–3 win over the Atlanta Braves.Schwartzberg Seth https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2025/5/29/24439308/today-in-astros-history Today in Astros history - May 29 The Crawfish Boxes SB Nation May 29, 2025 July 25, 2025 During the second game of a May 30 doubleheader later that same series, Houston set a club record with 25 hits for a 16–5 defeat of Atlanta.The prior team record was 23 hits on June 7, 1967. Tied multiple times, starting July 2 (Game 2), and next on August 10, 2019. Criteria: For single games, from 1962 to 2026, for HOU, in the regular season, requiring hits ≥18, sorted by descending hits.https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/team-batting-game-finder.cgi?request=1&order_by=b_h&timeframe=seasons&year_min=1962&year_max=1976&ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&cval%5B1%5D=18&cstat%5B1%5D=b_h&team_id=HOU Team batting game stats finder Stathead Sports Reference April 4, 2026 Twenty-three of the hits were singles, and Jerry DaVanon led the Astros with five runs batted in (RBI)Schwartzberg Seth https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2025/5/30/24439952/today-in-astros-history Today in Astros history - May 30 The Crawfish Boxes SB Nation May 30, 2025 July 24, 2025 and Cliff Johnson doubled and led Houston with four hits.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197604080.shtml Houston Astros (5) vs Cincinnati Reds (11) box score Baseball-Reference.com May 30, 1976 October 30, 2025 June—July thumb|160px|right|Pitcher Floyd Bannister, depicted as a member of the Seattle Mariners Holding their first-ever first overall pick in the MLB draft,https://www.baseball-almanac.com/feats/feats7.shtml MLB number one draft picks with signing bonus Baseball Almanac October 11, 2026 on June 8, Houston selected pitcher Floyd Bannister from Arizona State University.https://www.baseball-reference.com/draft/index.fcgi?team_ID=HOU&year_ID=1976&draft_type=junreg&query_type=franch_year&from_type_4y=0&from_type_unk=0&from_type_hs=0&from_type_jc=0 1976 Houston Astros picks in the MLB June amateur draft Baseball-Reference.com October 11, 2026 Bannister received a signing bonus of $100,000 (USD, $ thousand today), at the time, tied for second-highest bonus conferred to a number 1 pick.The Astros' next number one draft pick was Phil Nevin in 1992. He would pitch 15 seasons in the major leagues, highlighted by an All-Star selection and the American League strikeout title in 1982.https://www.baseball-reference.com/b/bannifl01.shtml Floyd Bannister stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball-Reference.com October 27, 2025 On the field, meanwhile, Larry Dierker blanked St. Louis, 2–0, on just five hits, three walks, and nine strikeouts, qualifying a game score of 83. On the basepaths, Dierker scratched through both of the Astros' runs via a single and an error during plays involving at bats by Bob Watson.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197606080.shtml St. Louis Cardinals (0) vs Houston Astros (2) box score Baseball-Reference.com June 8, 1976 November 4, 2025 With flooding in Greater Houston, the Astros were forced to cancel their game on June 15, 1976, against the Pittsburgh Pirates. This became the first and remained the only rainout that ever occurred in the 35 seasons that the team played at the Astrodome.Schwartzburg Seth https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2025/6/15/24449591/today-in-astros-history Today in Astros history - June 15 The Crawfish Boxes SB Nation June 15, 2025 June 15, 2025 To pick up their rain checks, some fans resorted to riding in canoes in 7 in cm of rain to travel to the stadium.Schwartzberg Seth https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2025/6/8/24445361/today-in-astros-history Today in Astros history - June 6 The Crawfish Boxes SB Nation June 6, 2025 July 7, 2025 During a doubleheader in Cincinnati on July 2, César Cedeño took center stage by driving in both game-winners to seal the sweep, while going 7-for-11, and singling for his 1,000th career hit. Houston racked up 25 hits during the opener, which tied the club record established just one month earlier on May 30. Cedeño, Greg Gross, and Enos Cabell each grooved four hits. Meanwhile, Pete Rose had five hits for the Reds, and Joe Morgan coaxed four walks. In the 14th inning, Cedeño crushed a two-run blast off Rich Hinton to break the tie and give the Astros a 9–7 lead, retaining difference in a 10–8 final.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197607021.shtml Houston Astros (10) vs Cincinnati Reds (8)—Game 1 box score Baseball-Reference.com July 2, 1976 October 30, 2025 Cedeño doubled twice among three hits in the nightcap. In the eighth inning, he doubled in Cabell off Fred Norman for the decisive run and 3–2 Astros triumph.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CIN/CIN197607022.shtml Houston Astros (3) vs Cincinnati Reds (2)—Game 2 box score Baseball-Reference.com July 2, 1976 October 30, 2025 Navigating 10 bases on balls issued and eight hits on July 6, J. R. Richard prevailed to lock down a 10-inning, 1–0 complete-game shutout of the New York Mets. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Jerry DaVanon singled home Wilbur Howard to cap the walk-off win.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197607060.shtml New York Mets (0) vs Houston Astros (1) box score Baseball-Reference.com July 6, 1976 October 30, 2025 This victory commenced a span of eight starts through August 4 during which the hurler crafted a 0.90 earned run average (ERA), was 6–2 over 69 2 3 innings pitched, with 42 hits surrendered, 41 walks and 43 strikeouts.https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=richaj.01&t=p&year=1976 J. R. Richard 1976 pitching game logs Baseball-Reference.com October 30, 2025 Larry Dierker's no-hitter Larry Dierker tossed a no-hitter on July 9, a 6–0 triumph over the Montreal Expos. He struck out eight, walked four,de Luna Marcy https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/article/Astrodome-55th-anniversary-debut-photos-history-12796463.php Iconic Astrodome made its grand debut 55 years ago, became 'Eighth Wonder of the World' Houston Chronicle April 9, 2020 August 18, 2025 and posted a game score of 91. Ed Herrmann, who served as Dierker's batterymate, homered in the fourth inning.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197607090.shtml Montreal Expos (0) vs Houston Astros (6) box score Baseball-Reference.com July 9, 1976 October 28, 2025 The first no-hitter ever pitched against the Expos,Bill Stoneman had fired two no-hitters for the Expos, the first two such contests they were involved in. lower-alpha "Larsen"https://www.baseball-almanac.com/pitching/official-no-hitters.shtml Official no-hitters in Major League Baseball Baseball Almanac October 14, 2025 this was Dierker's fifth career shutout of two hits or fewer.https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/D/PX_dierl101.htm Top performances for Larry Dierker Pitching performances Retrosheet October 28, 2025 Dierker had taken two prior no-hit bids into the ninth inning, including one for a perfect game on September 30, 1966,https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/NYN/NYN196609300.shtml Houston Astros (0) vs New York Mets (1) box score Baseball-Reference.com September 30, 1966 April 20, 2025 and another no-hit bid on September 13, 1969.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/ATL/ATL196909130.shtml Houston Astros (2) vs Atlanta Braves (3) box score Baseball-Reference.com September 13, 1969 June 30, 2026 His 137th win, at the time of his crowning achievement, Dierker was the Astros' franchise leader in nearly every pitching category.https://www.astrosdaily.com/players/Dierker_Larry.html Player profile—Larry Dierker Astros Daily October 28, 2025 Hermann led a balanced offensive approach by reaching base thrice via two hits and one walk. Bob Watson and Roger Metzger added two hits and one walk each, while José Cruz collected two hits. Dierker chipped in an RBI via a sacrifice fly. The Astros collected 11 base hits and four walks in total. The most recent no-hitter for Houston had been by Don Wilson on May 1, 1969, 4–0 triumph over Cincinnati. The next no-hitter by Astros pitching transpired on April 7, 1979, by Ken Forsch in a 6–0 win over the Atlanta Braves. MLB All-Star Game Center fielder César Cedeño and pitcher Ken Forsch were selected to the MLB All-Star Game, hosted at Veterans Stadium. Cedeño became Houston's first player to homer at an All-Star Game, blasting a two-run shot off Frank Tanana to score Ken Griffey and punctuate a 7–1 National League victory. Forsch closed out the contest with a scoreless ninth.https://www.baseball-reference.com/allstar/1976-allstar-game.shtml A. L. All-Stars (1) vs N. L. All-Stars (7) box score Baseball Reference July 13, 1976 August 22, 2026 His fourth selection, Cedeño matched Turk Farrell—also the Colt .45s/Astros first-ever All-Star—for most in club history. This stood as club record until Craig Biggio would receive his fifth selection in the 1996 All-Star Game. Moreover, Biggio joined Cedeño in 1995 as the next Astro to homer during the Midsummer Classic.https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/bat-all-star.shtml Houston Astros All-Star player register Baseball-Refererence.com October 26, 2025 Rest of July On July 18, catcher Ed Herrmann served as the impetus for Houston to sweep a doubleheader of the Expos by tallies of 7–6 and 10–1. Herrmann authored a 7-for-10 performance, including a home run and 7 RBI. In the opener, which lasted 10 innings, Hermmann delivered a 5-for-5 performance. During the nightcap, Greg Gross connected on a 4-for-4 contest as Houston's offense sprinted to a 22-hit lambasting. Dan Larson tossed a complete game in his big league debut.Not to be confused with Don Larsen, who tossed a perfect game in the 1956 World Series, and later pitched for the Colt .45s/Astros in 1964 and 1965. lower-alpha "No-hitters"Hulsey Bob https://www.astrosdaily.com/history/thisdate/index.html This date in Astros history Astros Daily September 7, 2025 Making his second major league start, on July 25, Bo McLaughlin fired a 10-inning shutout of the San Francisco Giants and got the win. Greg Gross plated Wilbur Howard via a walk-off sacrifice fly to win it, 1–0, with two out in the bottom of the 10th.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197607250.shtml San Francisco Giants (0) vs Houston Astros (1) box score Baseball-Reference.com July 25, 1976 November 4, 2025 True to the renown of the Astrodome, on July 26, the Astros celebrated their 1,000th contest at the stadium with Dierker tossing a two-hit shutout for 7–0 triumph over the San Diego Padres nineteen days after no-hitting the Expos. His sixth career shutout of two hits or fewer, Dierker received a game score of 85. Bob Watson homered, doubled, and drove in three to support. Finally, Dierker's sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth punctuated an extra insurance run.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197607260.shtml San Diego Padres (0) vs Houston Astros (7) box score Baseball-Reference.com July 26, 1976 October 28, 2025 The following day, Richard glazed the Padres on a four-hit complete game as Houston won, 4–1. Bob Watson blasted a home run while supplying all of the Astros' offense.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197607270.shtml San Diego Padres (1) vs Houston Astros (4) box score Baseball-Reference.com July 27, 1976 November 5, 2025 August On August 8, J. R, Richard, having forged 37 1 3 consecutive innings without an earned run,https://www.astrosdaily.com/files/team/richard/richard.html James Rodney "J. R." Richard, #50 Astros Daily October 30, 2025 yielded a pinch hit, game-tying three run home run to Willie McCovey of the San Diego Padres in the bottom of the eighth. The following inning, former Astro Héctor Torres singled in Tito Fuentes for the walk-off win.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SDN/SDN197608080.shtml Houston Astros (3) vs San Diego Padres (4) box score Baseball-Reference.com August 8, 1976 November 3, 2025 César Cedeño's cycle On August 9, César Cedeño hit for the cycle at Busch Memorial Stadium, highlighting a 13–4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. He drew the first three hits—triple, home run, and then doublehttps://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197608090.shtml Houston Astros (13) vs St. Louis Cardinals (4) box score Baseball Reference August 9, 1976 September 13, 2026—against starter and future Astro Bob Forsch, also brother of teammate Ken. The second of two cycles that Cedeño hit for the Astros, at the time he had been the only Astros player to have hit for the cycle. The next Astros cycle was by teammate Bob Watson on June 24 of the following year.Young Matt https://www.houstonchronicle.com/texas-sports-nation/astros/article/houston-astros-history-players-hit-for-the-cycle-18335801.php Details behind each player who has hit for the cycle in Astros franchise history Houston Chronicle July 22, 2024 July 6, 2025 Rest of August Also on August 9 in Cooperstown, New York, pitcher Robin Roberts became the first former Astro to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/hof.shtml Houston Astros Hall of Fame register Baseball-Reference.com August 31, 2025 He played for Houston in 1965 and 1966, and was named Opening Day starting pitcher for the latter campaign. On August 14, Bob Watson hit his second career grand slam at the Astrodome, becoming just the third player with multiple grand slams at the stadium, joining teammates Doug Rader (3) and César Cedeño (2).https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/event_finder.cgi?request=1&year_min=1965&year_max=1999&event=23&type=b&criteria29=game_site---HOU02&criteria72=rob---111 Batting event finder HOU:58 Home Runs in 1965-1999—123–at HOU, Astrodome Stathead Sport Reference August 29, 2026 Watson's blast came off John Candelaria in the bottom of the sixth inning, flipping a shutout deficit to a 4–2 Astros lead. However, the Pittsburgh Pirates rallied, scoring in the top of the eighth inning and twice in the top of the ninth, winning 5–4. Mario Mendoza doubled home Richie Hebner off Gene Pentz (3–3) for the Pirates' game-winning tally.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197608140.shtml Pittsburgh Pirates (5) vs Houston Astros (4) box score Baseball Reference August 14, 1976 August 29, 2026 On August 20, Dan Larson iced the Philadelphia Phillies on a complete game effort, while going 3-for-4 with 4 RBI to lead Houston to an 8–3 victory. He also walloped his first major league triple. Wilbur Howard accrued three base knocks as each Astros starter logged at least one hit.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI197608200.shtml Houston Astros (8) vs Philadelphia Phillies (3) box score Baseball-Reference.com August 20, 1976 November 7, 2025 September—October Bo McLaughlin tossed a 1–0 shutout on September 1 to outduel Jim Kaat and nip the Phillies for a club record-tying sixth complete game in a row. Cliff Johnson's solo blast provided all the offensive support that McLaughlin required. Concurrent with this achievement, Houston were also riding a season-high 7-game winning streak. Infielder Alex Taveras his major league debut on September 9 as a pinch runner in a 4–3 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. His first official plate appearance was in the first game of a doubleheader on September 11, where collected his first major league hit in 3 at bats versus the Padres He went 43 plate appearances and 41 at bats until a contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 29, before being retired via strikeout for the first time, which set a franchise record.https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=taveral01&t=b&year=1976 Álex Taveras 1976 batting game logs Baseball-Reference.com September 21, 2025Adkins Hunter https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/astros/article/Catching-up-with-J-R-Towles-the-Astros-first-14292061.php Catching up with J.R. Towles, the Astros’ first 8-RBI man Houston Chronicle August 9, 2019 September 21, 2025 Bob Watson belted his 100th career home run on September 18, a solo shot off Adrian Devine leading off the top of the ninth at Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium.https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.fcgi?id=watsobo01&t=b Bob Watson career home runs Baseball-Reference.com November 7, 2025 However, Devine retired Johnson, Leon Roberts, and Taveras in order for the save as the Atlanta Braves held on for the 5–3 win.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI197608200.shtml Houston Astros (8) vs Philadelphia Phillies (3) box score Baseball-Reference.com August 20, 1976 November 7, 2025 The Astros polished off their regular season on October 2 with aplomb, pasting the San Francisco Giants for a 10–1 victory, led by a tour-de-force performance from ace J. R. Richard. On the mound, Richard hurled a one-hit complete game, with just one walk surrendered with 13 whiffs for a game score of 87.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197610020.shtml San Francisco Giants (1) vs Houston Astros (10) box score Baseball-Reference.com October 2, 1976 October 29, 2025 The 13-strikeout effort tied for most in the National League that season. Richard won his last three appearances within a span of nine days to become a 20-game winner for the first timeHulsey Bob https://www.astrosdaily.com/history/20win.html#:~:text=Listed%20below%20are%20the%20moundsmen,21)%2C%201980%20(20) Houston Astros 20-game winners Astros Daily November 29, 2019 September 28, 2025 and complement a sturdy 2.75 earned run average (ERA). At the plate, Richard went 3-for-4, swatting a bomb with three RBI. Batterymate Cliff Johnson doubled and also brought two runs home. Bob Watson added two RBI, and José Cruz collected two hits, scored twice and swiped two of Houston's four bags. Performance overview The Astros concluded the 1976 season with an 80–82 record, in third place in the NL West and 22 games behind the dvision- and World Series-champion Cincinnati Reds.https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1976.shtml 1976 National League team statistics Baseball-Reference.com January 17, 2026 It was Houston's seventh campaign within the prior eight to have won at least 79 games. During manager Bill Virdon's first full season at the helm, Houston rebounded to improve by 15 1 2 games from the year prior. J. R. Richard became Houston's second 20-game winner, succeeding Larry Dierker in 1969.https://www.mlb.com/astros/history/timeline Astros history – Timeline MLB.com August 31, 2025 Richard also led the NL in hits per nine innings surrendered (6.835 H/9) for the first of three times that he would do so in his career. He became the second Astros to lead the league in this category, following Don Wilson in 1971 (6.549).https://www.baseball-reference.com/leaders/hits_per_nine_leagues.shtml Yearly league leaders and records for hits per 9 IP Baseball-Reference.com September 29, 2025 With 214 strikeouts, he became the first pitcher to record 200 or more in one season as a member of the Astros since Wilson (235), Dierker (232), and Tom Griffin (200) all did so in 1969.For single seasons, playing for HOU, in the regular season, requiring strikeouts ≥ 200, sorted by ascending season.https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/player-pitching-season-finder.cgi?request=1&order_by_asc=1&order_by=year_id&ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&cval%5B1%5D=200&cstat%5B1%5D=p_so&team_id=HOU Player pitching season & career stats finder–baseball Stathead Sports Reference January 17, 2026 Meanwhile, Cedeño won his fifth straight Gold Glove Award, and swiped a club-record 58 stolen bases, incrementally upping his total by one for the fourth time in five seasons.https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cedence01.shtml César Cedeño stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball-Reference.com September 5, 2025 Cedeño also resumed another unique record with the fifth of six uninterrupted campaigns with 50 or more steals, thus far as the only player in club history who had produced a 50-stolen base season.For single seasons, playing for HOU, in the regular season, requiring stolen bases ≥ 50, sorted by ascending season.https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/player-batting-season-finder.cgi?request=1&order_by_asc=1&order_by=year_id&ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&cval%5B1%5D=50&cstat%5B1%5D=b_sb&team_id=HOU Player batting season & career stats finder–baseball Stathead Sports Reference January 2, 2026 The five Gold Gloves tied former teammate Doug Rader for most in franchise history, also consecutively (1970—1974). Moreover, this was also the eighth of a franchise-record nine successive campaigns featuring at least one baserunner with 40 or more stolen bases.Number of players that meet criteria in a season, playing for HOU, in the regular season, requiring stolen bases ≥ 40, sorted by ascending instances.https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/player-batting-season-finder.cgi?request=1&match=league_player_season_count&order_by_asc=1&ccomp%5B1%5D=gt&cval%5B1%5D=40&cstat%5B1%5D=b_sb&team_id=HOU Player batting season & career stats finder–baseball Stathead Sports Reference January 17, 2026 League standings Houston Astros Record versus opponents National League border:1px solid #aaa HOU Notable transactions June 6, 1976: Terry Humphrey and Mike Barlow were traded by the Astros to the California Angels for Ed Herrmann.https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/humphte01.shtml Terry Humphrey stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball-Reference.com October 27, 2025 Roster 1976 Houston Astros Roster Pitchers 47 Joaquín Andújar 39 Mike Barlow 37 Mike Cosgrove 49 Larry Dierker 43 Ken Forsch 38 Tom Griffin 42 Larry Hardy 34 Dan Larson 51 Mark Lemongello 39 Bo McLaughlin 36 Joe Niekro 30 Gene Pentz 50 J. R. Richard 45 Gilberto Rondon 35 Joe Sambito 31 Paul Siebert 44 José Sosa Catchers  8 Ed Herrmann  6 Cliff Johnson  9 Skip Jutze Infielders 11 Rob Andrews 17 Ken Boswell 23 Enos Cabell 16 Jerry DaVanon 18 Art Howe 14 Roger Metzger 10 Larry Milbourne 15 Alex Taveras 27 Bob Watson Outfielders 28 César Cedeño 20 Rich Chiles 25 José Cruz 21 Greg Gross 26 Wilbur Howard 29 Al Javier 22 Leon Roberts Manager  7 Bill Virdon Coaches  4 Deacon Jones  5 Bob Lillis  3 Tony Pacheco  2 Mel Wright Player stats = Indicates team leader 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 Ed Herrmann 79 265 54 .204 3 25 1B Bob Watson 157 585 183 .313 16 102 2B Rob Andrews Rob Andrews (baseball) 109 410 105 .256 0 23 SS Roger Metzger 152 481 101 .210 0 29 3B Enos Cabell 144 586 160 .273 2 43 LF José Cruz 133 439 133 .303 4 61 CF César Cedeño 150 575 171 .297 18 83 RF Greg Gross 128 426 122 .286 0 27 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 Cliff Johnson Cliff Johnson (baseball) 108 318 72 .226 10 49 Leon Roberts 87 235 68 .289 7 33 Wilbur Howard 94 191 42 .220 1 18 Larry Milbourne 59 145 36 .248 0 7 Ken Boswell 91 126 33 .262 0 18 Jerry DaVanon 61 107 31 .290 1 20 Skip Jutze 42 92 14 .152 0 6 Alex Taveras 14 46 10 .217 0 2 Art Howe 21 29 4 .138 0 0 Al Javier 8 24 5 .208 0 0 Rich Chiles 5 4 2 .500 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 J.R. Richard 39 291.0 20 15 2.75 214 Larry Dierker 28 187.1 13 14 3.69 112 Joaquín Andújar 28 172.1 9 10 3.60 59 Dan Larson 13 92.1 5 8 3.02 42 Mike Cosgrove 22 89.2 3 4 5.52 34 Mark Lemongello 4 29.0 3 1 2.79 9 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 Joe Niekro 36 118.0 4 8 3.36 77 Bo McLaughlin 17 79.0 4 5 2.85 32 Gilberto Rondón 19 53.2 2 2 5.70 21 Joe Sambito 20 53.1 3 2 3.54 26 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 Ken Forsch 52 4 3 19 2.15 49 Gene Pentz 40 3 3 5 2.97 36 Tom Griffin Tom Griffin (baseball) 20 5 3 0 6.05 33 Paul Siebert 19 0 2 0 3.16 10 Mike Barlow 16 2 2 0 4.50 11 Larry Hardy Larry Hardy (baseball) 15 0 0 3 7.06 10 José Sosa José Sosa (baseball) 9 0 0 0 6.94 5 Major League Baseball draft 1976 Major League Baseball draft Houston Astros 1976 MLB draft selections Rd. Round Slot Draftee Position Position drafted as School Origin Birthplace by U.S. state, Canadian province, or nationality Signed Signing status Notes Bio Biography & career statistics 1 1 Floyd Bannister 1.1 Left-handed pitcher Arizona State • 1976 South Dakota Y MLB debut on April 19, 1977, for Houston "MLB" 2 25 Phil Klimas 1 5 Third baseman Saint Xavier Illinois Y https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=klimas001phi Phil Klimas minor leagues statistics Baseball Reference October 10, 2026 3 49 Reggie Baldwin 2 Catcher Grambling State Louisiana Y MLB debut on May 25, 1978, for Houston "MLB" https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/baldwre01.shtml Reggie Baldwin stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball Reference October 10, 2026 4 73 Jim Pankovits 5 Third baseman South Carolina Pennsylvania Y MLB debut on May 27, 1984, for Houston "MLB" https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pankoji01.shtml Jim Pankotits stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball Reference October 5, 2026 5 97 Joe Isaacs 1 1 Right-handed pitcher Asher High Oklahoma N Signed with the Minnesota Twins from the January 1978 draft, during the secondary phase. "Re-entry" https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=isaacs001joe Joe Isaacs minor leagues statistics Baseball Reference October 10, 2026 8 169 Dave Smith pitcher, born 1955 1 Right-handed pitcher San Diego State California Y MLB debut on April 11, 1980, for Houston "MLB" https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/smithda02.shtml Dave Smith stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball Reference October 11, 2026 11 241 Gary Rajsich 3 First baseman Arizona State • 1976 Ohio Y MLB debut on April 9, 1982, for the New York Mets "MLB" https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/rajsiga01.shtml Gary Rajsich stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball-Reference.com October 28, 2025 17 385 Bert Roberge 1 Right-handed pitcher Maine • 1976 Maine Y MLB debut on May 28, 1979, for Houston "MLB" https://www.baseball-reference.com/r/roberbe01.shtml Bert Roberge stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball Reference October 10, 2026 Sources: Awards and achievements Offensive achievements Hitting for the cycle Date Player H / AB Total number of hits and at bats R Runs scored 1B Innings during which player hit single 2B Innings during which player hit double 3B Innings during which player hit triple HR Innings during which player hit home run BI Runs batted in Other Other plays on offense by this player Score Final score Opponent Box Box score August 9 César Cedeño 4-for-5 4 5 7 1 6 5 — 13–4 St. Louis Cardinals Cedeño: 2B (22) • 3B (3) • HR (16) • RBI (61) Grand slams No. Number Date Astros batter Venue Inning Pitcher Opposing team Box Box score 1 August 14 Bob Watson Astrodome 6Tied score or took lead John Candelaria Pittsburgh Pirates No-hit game Date Pitcher IP Innings pitched BB Bases on balls BR Total baserunners K Strikeouts BF Batters faced Catcher Score Final score Opponent Venue Plate umpire Box Box score July 9, 1976 Larry Dierker 9 4 4 8 30 Ed Herrmann 6–0 Montreal Expos Astrodome John McSherry Dierker: Game score: 91 • Win (8–8) Career honors + Astros elected to Baseball Hall of Fame Individual Position Primary fielding position or role for which elected to Hall of Fame Houston Astros career Induction Hall of Fame induction notes Uni. Uniform number as member of Colts .45s/Astros Seasons Total number of seasons as member of Colt .45s/Astros Games Total number of games as member of Astros Start Start of Astros career Finish Finish of Astros career Robin Roberts baseball Starting pitcher 38 2 23 1965 1966 Class Plaque See also: Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame • Sources: Annual awards 1976 Houston Astros award winners Name of award Recipient Ref. References Gold Glove Award Outfielder César Cedeño Houston Astros Most Valuable Player (MVP) J. R. Richard McTaggart Brian http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091116&content_id=7674760&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou Bourn highlights Astros' awards season December 21, 2009 MLB.com October 14, 2025 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20101208131739/http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20091116&content_id=7674760&vkey=news_hou&fext=.jsp&c_id=hou December 8, 2010 MLB All-Star Game Reserve outfielder César Cedeño Reserve pitcher Ken Forsch National League (NL) Player of the Week June 6 Joaquín Andújar https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/mlb-players-of-the-week.shtml MLB Players of the Week Awards Baseball-Reference.com August 10, 2025 July 4 César Cedeño August 1 Bob Watson The Sporting News NL All-Star Outfielder César Cedeño Other awards results Name of award Voting recipient(s) (Team) Ref. References NL Cy Young 1st—R. Jones (SDP) • 7th—Richard (HOU) https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1976.shtml 1976 awards voting Baseball-Reference.com June 11, 2026 NL Most Valuable Player 1st—J. Morgan (CIN) • 11th—Watson (HOU) Other Astros: 17th—Richard • 25th—Cedeño League leaders NL pitching leaders Hits per nine innings pitched (H/9): J. R. Richard (6.8) Milestones Major League debuts Player—Appeared at position Joe Sambito, relief pitcher Date and opponent July 20 at Pittsburgh Box Box score Also: https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/majors/1976-debuts.shtml 1976 Major League Baseball new debuts Baseball-Reference.com May 30, 2026 Minor league system Minor League Baseball AAA Memphis Blues International League Jim Beauchamp AA Columbus Astros Southern League Leo Posada A Dubuque Packers Midwest League Bob Cluck Rookie Covington Astros Appalachian League Julio Linares See also Texas Baseball Black Aces List of first overall Major League Baseball draft picks List of Major League Baseball no-hitters List of Major League Baseball players to hit for the cycle Notes "Note" lower-alpha MLB Re-entry References 2 External links 1976 Houston Astros season at Baseball Reference Category:Houston Astros seasons Houston Astros season Houston Astro