1975 Houston Astros season

14th season in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros March 2026 November 2013 Houston Astros 1975 National League West Astrodome Houston, Texas 64 97 1 y 6th Roy Hofheinz Spec Richardson John Mullen Tal Smith Preston Gómez: 47 80 y Bill Virdon: 17 17 1 y KPRC-TV KPRC (AM)(Gene Elston, Loel Passe) The 1975 Houston Astros season was the 14th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 11th as the Astros, 14th in the National League (NL), seventh in the NL West division, and 11th at The Astrodome. The Astros entered the season with a record of 81–81, in fourth place and 21 games behind the division-champion and NL pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers. The regular season began on April 7 as the Astros hosted the Atlanta Braves with Larry Dierker making his fourth Opening Day start, which the Astros won, 6–2. First baseman Bob Watson represented the Astros at the MLB All-Star Game and played for the National League, his second career selection. The Astros hired Tal Smith as general manager on August 7. With the Astros struggling to a 47–80 record, the team dismissed Preston Gómez, and replaced him on August 20 with Bill Virdon as the eighth manager in franchise history. The club went 17–17–1 the rest of the way. The Astros finished last in the NL West with a record of 64–97–1, 43 1 2 games behind the division- and World Series-champion Cincinnati Reds, also the worst record in the National League. The second time the Astros had finished in last place, the 97 losses tied the 1965 team for most in team history, was matched in 1991, and stood as the record until 2011, when they lost at least 100 games for the first time. Following the season, center fielder César Cedeño won his fourth career Gold Glove Award. Offseason Summary The Astros concluded the 1974 campaign with a record of 81 81 y, in fourth place in the NL West and 21 games behind the division-champion and NL pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1974.shtml 1974 National League team statistics Baseball-Reference.com March 2, 2026 This performance furthered a scintilla of three consecutive seasons with a record of .500, then unprecedented in franchise history.https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/ Houston Astros team history & encyclopedia Baseball-Reference.com October 10, 2025 Center fielder César Cedeño extended his Major League record as a third successive entrant into the 20–50 club.https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=cedence01 César Cedeño stats, height, weight, research & history Baseball Almanac March 2, 2026 Cedeño and third baseman Doug Rader each earned Gold Glove Awards,https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/gold_glove_nl.shtml National League Gold Glove Award winners Sports Reference, LLC Baseball-Reference.com October 4, 2016 and right fielder Greg Gross was recognized as The Sporting News NL Rookie Player of the Year Award.From 1961–2003, The Sporting News declared one rookie position player and pitcher from each league, the NL and the American League (AL), for this award. Starting in 2004, this system was modified to selecting one rookie from each league for the award, regardless of position. lower-alpha "Sporting News Rookies"https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_snrp2.shtml Rookie Player of the Year Award Baseball Almanac September 24, 2025 On January 5, 1975, right-handed pitcher Don Wilson died at home of carbon monoxide poisoning.https://www.nytimes.com/1975/01/07/archives/wilsons-death-monoxide-wilsons-death-by-monoxide.html Wilson's death: monoxide January 7, 1975 The New York Times 0362-4331 October 30, 2016 Transactions October 24, 1974: Acquired the rights of outfielder José Cruz from the St. Louis Cardinals for cash considerations.Schupmann Hewitt Jane https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/jose-cruz/ José Cruz Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) November 16, 2025 December 3, 1974: Lee May and Jay Schlueter were traded by the Astros to the Baltimore Orioles for Enos Cabell and Rob Andrews.https://www.baseball-reference.com/a/andrero01.shtml Rob Andrews stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball-Reference.com October 10, 2025 Uniform changes This was the first season the Astros donned their now famous rainbow uniforms. The uniforms would make slight alterations throughout the years. In 1975, the numbers on the back of the jersey were inside a white circle but by the following season, the white circle was eliminated entirely. In 1987, the rainbows were relegated to the shoulders of both home and away uniforms (prior to that they were only used on the away uniforms shoulders) and by 1994, the rainbow uniforms were retired after 19 years for a more contemporary look. Regular season Summary April thumb|Plate honoring Don Wilson on the Houston Astros Wall of Honor at Daikin Park. + Opening Day starting lineup Uniform Uniform number Player Position 23 Enos Cabell Left fielder 11 Rob AndrewsMajor league debut. lower-alpha "MLB debut" Second baseman 28 César Cedeño Center fielder 8 Milt May Catcher 6 Cliff Johnson First baseman 25 José Cruz Right fielder 12 Doug Rader Third baseman 14 Roger Metzger Shortstop 49 Larry Dierker Pitcher Venue: Astrodome • Final: Houston 6, Atlanta 2 Sources:https://www.baseball-almanac.com/box-scores/boxscore.php?boxid=197504070HOU Atlanta Braves (2) vs Houston Astros (6) box score Baseball Almanac April 7, 1975 September 13, 2025https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/1975-uniform-numbers.shtml 1975 Houston Astros uniform numbers Baseball-Reference.com October 5, 2025 On Opening Day at the Astrodome, José Cruz introduced himself in an Astros uniform with an electric debut, going 3-for-4, swatting a home run and delivering three runs batted in (RBI) to lead a 6–2 triumph over the Atlanta Braves. Cruz singled during his first Houston plate appearance in the bottom of the second inning off Braves starter Phil Niekro for his first Astros hit, and in the bottom of the fifth, slugged a three-run home run to chase Niekro. The blast put Houston in the lead, 5–2.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197504070.shtml Atlanta Braves (2) vs Houston Astros (6) box score Baseball-Reference.com April 7, 1975 November 15, 2025 Rob Andrews made his major league debut at second base and struck out against Niekro during his first at bat in the first inning, and the third, singled for his first major league hit. Andrews, Enos Cabell, César Cedeño, Milt May, and Doug Rader each added two hits as Houston totaled 14. Astros starter Larry Dierker went the distance and struck out 7 to pick up his first win of the season. Dierker made his then-club record fourth Opening Day start for Houston, relinquishing a tie with the prior year's starter, Dave Roberts.Dierker retained the club record until surpassed by J. R. Richard, who became Houston's Opening Day starter the following year, and made his fifth consecutive in 1980. "Note" Meanwhile, Rader, making his seventh consecutive Opening Day start at third base, equaled Bob Aspromonte's club record for the position (1962 to 1968).Aspromonte was the only player to start on each of the first seven Opening Day contests for the Colt .45s/Astros. "Note"https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/opening.shtml Houston Astros Opening Day starters Baseball-Reference.com November 15, 2025 José Cruz' first home run for Houston was also the first of his career on Opening Day.https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/home_run.php?p=cruzjo01 José Cruz home runs Baseball Almanac April 11, 2026 On April 13, the Astros retired Don Wilson's uniform number 40.http://www.foreverastro.com/my-files/historical/RetiredNumbers.htm Retired Numbers Forever Astro November 27, 2009 https://web.archive.org/web/20110711020148/http://www.foreverastro.com/my-files/historical/RetiredNumbers.htm July 11, 2011http://houston.astros.mlb.com/hou/history/retired_numbers.jsp https://web.archive.org/web/20071015172012/http://houston.astros.mlb.com/hou/history/retired_numbers.jsp live October 15, 2007 History: Houston Astros retired numbers October 14, 2025 The Official Site of The Houston Astros and commemorated him during the following season with a black circular patch containing his number 40 in white, which was worn on the left sleeve of the Astros "rainbow jerseys."Patches and Armbands at exhibits.baseballhalloffame.org, URL accessed November 27, 2009. Archived November 27, 2009 May Bob Watson scored the 1,000,000th run in baseball history on May 4 during the first game of a doubleheader at Candlestick Park. In spite of Milt May's home run, Watson sprinted around the bases to cross home plate, edging ahead of Dave Concepción of the Cincinnati Reds. Meanwhile, both pitching staffs were unusually wild, issuing a record 41 bases on balls, including a single game league record of 26 in the nightcap.Hulsey Bob https://www.astrosdaily.com/history/thisdate/index.html This date in Astros history Astros Daily September 24, 2025 J. R. Richard surrendered an individual club-record eleven of the free passes;https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/XF_HOU.htm Top individual performances of the Houston Astros Retrosheet May 23, 2026 however, Houston managed to win the second game, 12–8, to obtain a split of the twinbill. Watson's prize for the historic run scored was $10,000 and one million Tootsie Rolls.https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/player.php?p=watsobo01 Bob Watson stats, height, weight, research & history Baseball Almanac May 26, 2026 After having fallen behind on May 25 to a 6–0 score, the Astros came back in the bottom of the ninth inning to the Montreal Expos, via a leadoff home run by César Cedeño. The Expos retook the lead in the 12th inning, prior to the Astros walking it off in the bottom of the inning, 8–7.Schwartzberg Seth https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2025/5/25/24436884/today-in-astros-history Today in Astros history - May 25 The Crawfish Boxes SB Nation May 25, 2025 August 6, 2025 Record-setting inning On May 31, the Astros won out in a 15–3 onslaught over the Philadelphia Phillies, erupting for a club-record 12 runs in the eighth inning. Pinch hitter Cliff Johnson fully leveraged the opportunity, hitting a home run and double that inning,Schwartzberg Seth https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2025/5/31/24440541/today-in-astros-history Today in Astros history - May 31 The Crawfish Boxes SB Nation May 31, 2025 July 22, 2025 which tied a modern Major League record (since 1900) with two extra-base hits in one inning.Tom Burns holds the all-time Major League record with 3, on September 6, 1883, as a member of the Chicago White Stockings.https://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/extra_base_hits_records.shtml Extra base hits records Baseball Almanac March 15, 2026 The Phillies' starter, Wayne Twitchell—whom the Astros had selected third overall in the 1966 Major League Baseball draft—kept the Astros at bay by commencing with a two-hit shutout through seven frames, including retiring 11 in succession. Twitchell's counterpart, J. R. Richard, had surrendered two runs and four bases on balls, whiffing eight through seven innings.Hulsey Bob https://www.astrosdaily.com/history/19750531/index.html Astros drop dozen on Phils Astros Daily May 31, 1975 March 15, 2026 In the eighth inning, José Cruz led off with a single, and Doug Rader ambushed the Phillies' defense with a bunt that allowed him to reach. With one out, Bob Watson pinch hit for Richard and singled up the middle to score Cruz, ending Twitchell's outing. Tug McGraw relieved Twitchell to face Greg Gross, for whom Johnson pinch hit. Johnson unloaded a double down the left field line that plated Rader, and an additional run scored on a misplayed relay throw to posit the Astros ahead to stay, 3–2. César Cedeño (intentional base on balls), Milt May and Enos Cabell (an RBI single each) all reached next. Hence, the Astros batted around to bring up Cruz with a 5–2 edge, who drew a walk to load the bases. June—July On June 15, Cliff Johnson hit the second pinch-hit grand slam in franchise history, following Milt May's on May 22, 1974. Johnson's blast was a game-winner during the top of the ninth inning to stun the St. Louis Cardinals, 8–7.https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/event_finder.cgi?request=1&year_min=1962&team_id=HOU&event=23&type=b&criteria76=def_pos---11&criteria89=rob---111 Batting event finder: HOU: 13 Home Runs in 1962-2026 – PH, 123 Stathead Sports Reference May 25, 2026 In the bottom of the eighth inning, St. Louis had scored thrice to take a 7–4 lead. In the bottom of the eighth inning, Joe Niekro entered with the bases loaded, and surrendered two runs by issuing a walk and allowing a sacrifice fly. However, Niekro (2–1) secured the final five outs to earn the victory.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SLN/SLN197506150.shtml Houston Astros (8) vs St. Louis Cardinals (7) box score Baseball-Reference.com June 15, 1975 May 25, 2026 It was Johnson's first career grand slam, and sixth home run as a pinch hitter.https://www.baseball-almanac.com/players/home_run.php?p=johnscl01 Cliff Johnson home runs Baseball Almanac May 25, 2026 On June 23, the Astros took a 6-run lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers. Wayne Granger pitched the final 2 2 3 innings; it was Granger's pickoff that ended the contest and secured a 6–5 win for the Astros.Schwarzberg Seth https://www.crawfishboxes.com/2025/6/23/24454144/today-in-astros-history Today in Astros history - June 23 The Crawfish Boxes SB Nation June 23, 2025 June 24, 2025 From June 25 until August 18, Greg Gross reached base in 52 games consecutively to tie Jimmy Wynn for the franchise record. During the streak, Gross produced a .345 batting average, .427 on-base percentage (OBP) and .414 slugging percentage (SLG), garnering 70 hits and 30 bases on balls (BB). Wynn first set the record from June 4–August 3, 1969. Gross' and Wynn's streak trailed the NL record by 6 games, held by Duke Snider, who reached base at least once each game from May 13–July 11, 1954, for the Brooklyn Dodgers.https://stathead.com/sharing/evYPo NL on-base streak record Stathead Sports Reference, LLC September 30, 2025https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=grossgr01&t=b&year=1975 Greg Gross 1975 batting game logs Baseball-Reference.com September 30, 2025 First baseman Bob Watson was invited to the MLB All-Star Game, his second career selection, and hosted at County Stadium in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.https://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/HOU/bat-all-star.shtml Houston Astros All-Star player register Baseball Reference September 13, 2026 Watson pinch hit for NL starting pitcher Jerry Reuss in the fourth inning, and flied out to left field in his only plate appearance. The National League won, 6–3.https://www.baseball-reference.com/allstar/1975-allstar-game.shtml N. L. All-Stars (6) vs A. L. All-Stars (3) box score Baseball Reference July 15, 1975 September 13, 2026 On July 21, the Astros induced four batted ground ball double plays by Joe Torre to establish an individual National League recordTied Goose Goslin of the Detroit Tigers in the American League on April 28, 1934, for the Major League record.https://www.baseball-almanac.com/recbooks/rb_gidp.shtml Grounding into double plays records Baseball Almanac February 8, 2026 led by righty Ken Forsch on the mound for Houston at Shea Stadium, who tossed a complete game. Félix Millán, batting second and one slot ahead of Torre in the order, went 4-for-4, garnering a single each time, which resulted as the direct conversion into the lead out on each of Torre's dubious batting events. Forsch (4–7) went on to earn victory for Houston, as he dispersed 11 Mets hits, and withstood solo blasts from Rusty Staub and Dave Kingman. Roger Metzger tripled and had 2 RBI, while Wilbur Howard socked three hits and scored twice for Houston. The final score remained the Astros 6, and Mets 2.Knell David https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/july-21-1975-felix-millan-hits-four-singles-and-joe-torre-grounds-into-four-double-plays/ Félix Millan hits four singles, and Joe Torre grounds into four double plays Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) July 21, 1975 February 8, 2026 Rookie relief pitcher José Sosa produced a memorable first game at the plate on July 30 at the Astrodome. Taking first his major league at bat in the eighth inning, Sosa homered off Danny Frisella of the San Diego Padres, a three-run blast to lead an 8–4 Astros win. Sosa become both the first Dominican pitcher and first Houston Astro to accomplish this feat. Prior to him, José Cruz and Doug Rader also homered in the sixth inning, and Sosa closed out the final 1 2 3 innings with a scoreless effort and two strikeouts to covert his first major league save.https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1975/B07300HOU1975.htm Houston Astros 8, San Diego Padres 4 Retrosheet July 30, 1975 September 13, 2025https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/gl.fcgi?id=sosajo01&t=b&year=1975 José Sosa 1975 batting game logs Baseball-Reference.com September 13, 2025 The next Astros player to hit a home run in his first at bat was Dave Matranga on June 27, 2003, who made a pinch hit appearance versus the Texas Rangers.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU200306270.shtml Texas Rangers (10) vs Houston Astros (7) box score Baseball-Reference.com June 27, 2003 September 14, 2025 August During the nightcap of a doubleheader on August 3, José Cruz collected his first career four-hit contest. He added a pair of doubles and a pair of runs batted in (RBI).https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/PX_cruzj001.htm Top performances for José Cruz Retrosheet November 15, 2025 Catcher Milt May homered, tripled and had five RBI. The Astros withstood a three-run San Francisco rally in the bottom of the eighth inning to hold on for a 10–9 triumph. Jim Crawford hurled 6 1 3 innings of relief for the win, while José Sosa earned his first hold.https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/SFN/SFN197508032.shtml Houston Astros (10) vs San Francisco Giants (9) box score—Game 2 Baseball-Reference.com August 3, 1975 November 15, 2025 On August 10, though he yielded 10 walks to the Pittsburgh Pirates, J. R. Richard navigated six innings with just one hit and two runs surrendered to lead a 5–3 Astros win. With two hits, a double, run scored, and a stolen base, César Cedeño led the way for Houston's offense.https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/1975/B08100HOU1975.htm Houston Astros 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 3 Retrosheet August 10, 1975 October 24, 2025 Having performed to a major-league worst 47 80 y showing, on August 19, Houston replaced incumbent skipper Preston Gómez with Bill Virdon. Less than three weeks earlier, on August 1, Virdon himself had been terminated by the New York Yankees, as New York sought out the potential of installing Billy Martin. During each of Virdon's first five contests as manager, Cliff Johnson launched a home run to lead to victories in three. Moreover, an exhibition game on August 21 opposing their Triple-A affiliate, the Iowa Oaks, featured another Johnson home run.Thornley Stew https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/august-25-1975-the-missing-11th-inning-as-cardinals-astros-ends-in-a-tie/ The missing 11th inning, as Cardinals–Astros ends in a tie Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) August 25, 1975 November 16, 2025 José Cruz recorded his first career 5 RBI bout on August 23, also hitting a home run. Meanwhile, Wilbur Howard registered his first career four-hit contest.https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/H/PX_howaw101.htm Top performances for Wilbur Howard Retrosheet March 2, 2026 On August 24, Cliff Johnson blasted a home run (15) for the fifth successive contest, Howard garnered four safeties for the second consecutive game, while Cruz netted his first career multi-home run game to cap an 8–4 drubbing of the Chicago Cubs. Cruz went 3-for-5 with two home runs (7), one double, and five RBI. Bob Watson (16) also went deep. Larry Dierker (13–13) sailed to a complete game victory. Further, Howard heisted two bases (22).https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CHN/CHN197508240.shtml Houston Astros (8) vs Chicago Cubs (4) box score Baseball-Reference.com August 24, 1975 March 2, 2026 Howard became the third player in team history to record four hits each over consecutive games, succeeding John Bateman on September 5 and 6, 1966.Next accomplished for Houston by César Cedeño on September 12 and 13, 1977. Criteria: Longest streak of consecutive games, playing for HOU, in the regular season, requiring Hits ≥ 4, sorted by most games matching criteria.https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/player-batting-streak-finder.cgi?request=1&timeframe=seasons&streak_length=2&scomp%5B1%5D=gt&sval%5B1%5D=4&sstat%5B1%5D=b_h&team_id=HOU Player batting streak stats finder—baseball Stathead Sports Reference August 1, 2026 The Astros commenced a series on August 25 at Busch Memorial Stadium against the second-place St. Louis Cardinals 69 59 y. Roger Metzger scored the tying run in the ninth inning, sending the game to extra innings. The teams exchanged runs in the tenth inning to repeat the tie, 3–3. With rain falling in the top of the 11th, Bob Gibson was inserted for St. Louis. Johnson pounced for a shot to left, going deep for the sixth consecutive game, and a 4–3 Astros lead. However, with two out in the bottom of the inning, the downpour grew too heavy to continue. The game was called, and due to the rules of the day, all activity of that inning was erased—including Johnson's home run that would have been second in NL history to Dale Long's eight consecutive games. Thus, the final outcome of the contest remained 3–3 in 10 innings, accounting for Houston's lone tie score of the campaign. Under Virdon, the Astros closed out the season with 17 17 1 y performance. September On September 8, César Cedeño hit his 100th career home runhttps://www.baseball-reference.com/players/event_hr.fcgi?id=cedence01&t=b César Cedeño career home runs Baseball Reference August 16, 2026 in his sixth career multi-homer game, while establishing a career-high 6 RBI.https://www.retrosheet.org/boxesetc/C/PX_cedec001.htm Top performances for César Cedeño Retrosheet January 1, 2026 Cedeño realized the milestone home run off Phil Niekro in the third inning in Atlanta. In the eighth, Cedeño's second big fly from Bruce Dal Canton's offering plated the go-ahead run to stay to in the lead for a 9–6 triumph. However, just 737 fans witnessed Cedeño's marvel of a performance. Performance overview The Astros concluded the 1975 season in last place the NL West with a record of 64–97–1, 43 1 2 games behind the division- and World Series-champion Cincinnati Reds, and turned in the worst record in the National League.https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/NL/1975.shtml 1975 National League team statistics Baseball-Reference.com November 16, 2025 The second time in franchise that the Astros had finished in last place, the 97 losses tied the 1965 team for most in team history, was equaled in 1991, and stood as the club record until 2011, when they lost 100 games for the first time. The Astros' .398 winning percentage established in 1975 a franchise-worst, and remained so until 2011. Having trailed the Reds by 43 1 2 games, this mark exceeded the 36 1 2 games behind the San Francisco Giants, the inaugural season of 1962. In 2013, they finished 45 games back. Future Astros management turned in excellent seasons. Former general manager Bob Watson hit for a team-leading .324 average, 157 hits and 85 RBI, while former manager Larry Dierker was the pitching staff leader with 14 wins.https://www.mlb.com/astros/history/timeline Astros history – Timeline MLB.com August 30, 2025 With 50 stolen bases, César Cedeño produced his fourth of a total of six campaigns in succession having attained that threshold, through 1977. Cedeño had been the only Astro through that point to have attained any 50-stolen base seasons.For single seasons, playing for HOU, in the regular season, requiring stolen bases ≥ 50, sorted by descending stolen bases.https://www.sports-reference.com/stathead/baseball/player-batting-season-finder.cgi?request=1&order_by=b_sb&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 16, 2026 Also, this was also the seventh 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 3, 2026 Also for the fourth consecutive campaign, Cedeño became a Gold Glove Award recipient at outfield.https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/aw_ggnl.shtml Gold Glove outfielders in the National League Baseball Almanac October 14, 2025 He and teammate Doug Rader, who had won for third base over five consecutive years from 1970 to 1974, were thus far Houston's only multiple winners. Also indicated was that this was the first campaign since 1971 the duo had failed to win the award together. League standings Houston Astros Record versus opponents National League border:1px solid #aaa HOU Notable transactions June 3, 1975: Kim Seaman was drafted by the Astros in the 23rd round of the 1975 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign.https://www.baseball-reference.com/s/seamaki01.shtml Kim Seaman stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball-Reference.com October 14, 2025 Roster 1975 Houston Astros Roster Pitchers 37 Mike Cosgrove 30 Jim Crawford 49 Larry Dierker 43 Ken Forsch 35 Wayne Granger 38 Tom Griffin 46 Doug Konieczny 36 Joe Niekro 50 J. R. Richard 15 Dave Roberts 44 Fred Scherman 31 Paul Siebert 44,60 José Sosa 48 Mike Stanton 42 Jim York Catchers  9 Skip Jutze  8 Milt May Infielders 11 Rob Andrews 17 Ken Boswell 16 Jerry DaVanon 19 Tommy Helms  6 Cliff Johnson 14 Roger Metzger 10 Larry Milbourne 12 Doug Rader 27 Bob Watson Outfielders 23 Enos Cabell 28 César Cedeño 25 José Cruz 24 Art Gardner 21 Greg Gross 26 Wilbur Howard Other batters 20 Rafael Batista 20 Jesús de la Rosa 22 Mike Easler Manager 18 Preston Gómez  7 Bill Virdon Coaches  2 Roger Craig  3 Hub Kittle  5 Bob Lillis  4 Jimmy Williams 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 Milt May 111 386 93 .241 4 52 1B Bob Watson 132 485 157 .324 18 85 2B Rob Andrews Rob Andrews (baseball) 103 277 66 .238 0 19 SS Roger Metzger 127 450 102 .227 2 26 3B Doug Rader 129 448 100 .223 12 48 LF Greg Gross 132 483 142 .294 0 41 CF César Cedeño 131 500 144 .288 13 63 RF José Cruz 120 315 81 .257 9 49 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 Wilbur Howard 121 392 111 .283 0 21 Enos Cabell 117 348 92 .264 2 43 Cliff Johnson Cliff Johnson (baseball) 122 340 94 .276 20 65 Ken Boswell 86 178 43 .242 0 21 Larry Milbourne 73 151 32 .212 1 9 Tommy Helms 64 135 28 .207 0 14 Jerry DaVanon 32 97 27 .278 1 10 Skip Jutze 51 93 21 .226 0 6 Art Gardner 13 31 6 .194 0 2 Rafael Batista 10 10 3 .300 0 0 Mike Easler 5 5 0 .000 0 0 Jesús de la Rosa 3 3 1 .333 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 34 232.0 14 16 4.00 127 J.R. Richard 33 203.0 12 10 4.39 176 Dave Roberts 32 198.1 8 14 4.27 101 Doug Konieczny 32 171.0 6 13 4.47 89 Tom Griffin 17 79.1 3 8 5.33 56 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 Ken Forsch 34 109.0 4 8 3.22 54 Jim York 19 46.2 4 4 3.86 17 Paul Siebert 7 18.1 0 2 2.95 6 Mike Stanton Mike Stanton (right-handed pitcher) 7 17.1 0 2 7.27 16 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 Wayne Granger 55 2 5 5 3.65 30 Jim Crawford Jim Crawford (baseball) 44 3 5 4 3.63 37 Joe Niekro 40 6 4 4 3.07 54 Mike Cosgrove 32 1 2 5 3.03 32 José Sosa José Sosa (baseball) 25 1 3 1 4.02 31 Fred Scherman 16 0 1 0 4.96 13 Awards and achievements Grand slams AstrosRet 40.PNG Don Wilson Houston Astros 5 April 13, 1975 No. Number Date Astros batter Venue Inning Pitcher Opposing team Box Box score 1 June 15 Cliff Johnson baseball1st MLB grand slamPinch hitter Busch Memorial Stadium 9Tied score or took lead Mike Garman St. Louis Cardinals Career honors + Career honors received in 1975 Honor / mention received Individual Role Uni. Uniform number retired Start Start of Colt .45s/Astros career Finish Finish of Colt .45s/Astros career ASG Total All-Star Games during Colt .45s/Astros career Bio. / Games Biographical data or total number of games with team Summ. Career statistics & achievements Houston Astros uniform number retired Don Wilson Pitcher 40 1966 1974 1 268 games https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wilsodo01.shtml Don Wilson stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more Baseball-Reference.com October 14, 2025 Ref.: Annual awards 1975 Houston Astros award winners Name of award Recipient Ref. References Gold Glove Award Outfielder César Cedeño Houston Astros Most Valuable Player (MVP) Bob Watson 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 first baseman Bob Watson National League (NL) Player of the Month May Bob Watson https://www.baseball-almanac.com/awards/player_of_the_month_award.shtml MLB Player of the Month Award Baseball Almanac October 10, 2025 Other awards results Name of award Voting recipient(s) (Team) Ref. References NL Most Valuable Player 1st—J. Morgan (CIN) • 20th—Watson (HOU) https://www.baseball-reference.com/awards/awards_1975.shtml 1975 awards voting Baseball-Reference.com June 13, 2026 Minor league system Minor League Baseball AAA Iowa Oaks American Association Joe Sparks AA Columbus Astros Southern League Jim Beauchamp A Dubuque Packers Midwest League Bob Cluck Rookie Covington Astros Appalachian League Billy Smith See also Texas Baseball List of Major League Baseball players with a home run in their first major league at bat List of Major League Baseball retired numbers Notes "Note" References 2 External links 1975 Houston Astros season at Baseball Reference Category:Houston Astros seasons Houston Astros season Houston Astro