1979 Houston Astros season
| 1979 Houston Astros | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Division | West |
| Ballpark | Astrodome |
| City | Houston, Texas |
| Record | 89–73 (.549) |
| Divisional place | 2nd |
| Owners | John McMullen |
| General managers | Tal Smith |
| Managers | Bill Virdon |
| Television | KRIV |
| Radio | KPRC (AM) (Gene Elston, Dewayne Staats, Larry Dierker) |
The 1979 Houston Astros season was the 18th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 15th as the Astros, 18th in the National League (NL), 11th in the NL West division, and 15th at The Astrodome. The Astros entered the season having completed an 74–88 record for fifth place and 21 games behind the division-champion and NL pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.
On Opening Day, April 6, J. R. Richard made his fourth Opening Day start for Houston, who hosted the Atlanta Braves and won, 2–1. On April 7, Ken Forsch tossed a no-hitter versus Atlanta, the sixth no-hitter in Astros history, and 6–0 Astros win. On May 16, the National League approved the sale of the Astros to John McMullen. During the amateur draft, Houston's first round selection was catcher John Mizerock at eighth overall. In the sixth round, they chose second baseman Bill Doran.
For the first time, Houston sent as many as four representatives for the National League in the MLB All-Star Game, including shortstop Craig Reynolds, his second selection, and pitchers Joe Niekro (first), Joaquín Andújar (second), and Joe Sambito (first).
The season after becoming the first right-hander in National League history to convert 300 strikeouts, Richard improved on the category, leading the NL for a second successive season (313). He also become the first Astro to garner the earned run average (ERA) title (2.71), while Niekro became the first Astro to lead the league in wins (21). Moreover, Niekro became the first Astro to be recognized for a full-season pitching award, by The Sporting News as the NL Pitcher of the Year. Another Sporting News award went to outfielder Jeffrey Leonard, as the NL Rookie Player of the Year and selection to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team. The 1979 Astros also were the final National League franchise of the 20th century to hit more triples (52) than home runs (49).
The Astros concluded the season with a 89–73 record, in second place and 1½ games behind the first-place Cincinnati Reds. At the time, this represented the most wins in club history along with the closest to first place ever finished, supplanting the records of the 1972 club. The following year, the Astros exceeded this new club record for wins while winning their first division title.