1990 Houston Astros season
| 1990 Houston Astros | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Division | West |
| Ballpark | The Astrodome |
| City | Houston, Texas |
| Record | 75–87 (.463) |
| Divisional place | 4th—tied |
| Owners | John McMullen |
| General managers | Bill Wood |
| Managers | Art Howe |
| Television | KTXH HSE |
| Radio | KTRH (Bill Brown, Milo Hamilton, Larry Dierker, Bruce Gietzen, Bill Worrell) KXYZ (Orlando Sánchez-Diago, Rolando Becerra) |
The 1990 Houston Astros season was the 29th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 26th as the Astros, 29th in the National League (NL), 22nd in the NL West division, and 26th at The Astrodome. The Astros entered the season having posted a record of 86–76 for third place in the NL West, six games behind the division-champion and NL pennant-winning San Francisco Giants.
On April 9, pitcher Mike Scott made his fourth Opening Day start for Houston, who hosted the Cincinnati Reds, but were defeated, 8–4. In the amateur draft, the Astros' first round selections included shortstop Tom Nevers (21st overall) and pitcher Brian Williams (31st).
Pitcher Dave Smith earned his second career MLB All-Star selection, representing the Astros and playing for the National League. Second baseman Joe Morgan was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, at the time the longest-tenured former, and earliest, member of the Colt .45s/Astro to receive this honor. He started his major league career with Houston in 1963 and played 10 of his 22 major league seasons for the franchise. Pitcher Danny Darwin, who worked primarily out of the bullpen, was the NL earned run average (ERA) leader (2.21), the third ERA title by an Astros pitcher within the previous five seasons.
The Astros concluded the season with a 75–87 record, tied for fourth place with the San Diego Padres and 16 games behind the division- and World Series-champion Reds. The 87 losses were the most for Houston since 1978.