1975 Houston Astros season
| 1975 Houston Astros | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Division | West |
| Ballpark | Astrodome |
| City | Houston, Texas |
| Record | 64–97–1 (.398) |
| Divisional place | 6th |
| Owners | Roy Hofheinz |
| General managers | Spec Richardson John Mullen Tal Smith |
| Managers | Preston Gómez: 47–80 Bill Virdon: 17–17–1 |
| Television | KPRC-TV |
| Radio | 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.