2003 Houston Astros season
| 2003 Houston Astros | |
|---|---|
| League | National League |
| Division | Central |
| Ballpark | Minute Maid Park |
| City | Houston, Texas |
| Record | 87–75 (.537) |
| Divisional place | 2nd |
| Owners | Drayton McLane, Jr. |
| General managers | Gerry Hunsicker |
| Managers | Jimy Williams |
| Television | KNWS-TV FSN Southwest (Bill Brown, Jim Deshaies, Bill Worrell) |
| Radio | KTRH (Milo Hamilton, Alan Ashby) KXYZ (Francisco Ernesto Ruiz, Alex Treviño) |
The 2003 Houston Astros season was the 42nd season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 39th as the Astros, 42nd in the National League (NL), tenth in the NL Central division, and fourth at Minute Maid Park. The Astros entered the season having finished in second place in the NL Central division with an 84–78 record.
On April 1, pitcher Roy Oswalt made his first of eight consecutive Opening Day starts for the Astros, who hosted Colorado Rockies, and won, 10–4. In the amateur draft, the Astros' top selection was in the second-round with right-handed pitcher Jason Hirsh (59th overall). On April 26, Jeff Bagwell collected his 2,000th career hit, joining teammate Craig Biggio as the second Astro to recood all 2,000 with the team.
On June 11, six Astros pitchers combined to hurl a no-hitter against the New York Yankees, establishing a major league record for most pitchers contributing to a no-hitter. The six were Roy Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner. Moreover, Dotel became the first to strike out four batters in one inning during a no-hitter, and the 45th pitcher overall.
Wagner represented the Astros and played for the National League at the MLB All-Star Game, his third career selection. On July 10, Biggio became the 40th major leaguer to reach 500 doubles, while, Bagwell on July 20, hit his 400th career home run, becoming the 35th player in major league history to do so.
The Astros concluded the season with an 87–75 record, runners-up in the NL Central—one game behind the Chicago Cubs and two games ahead of the St. Louis Cardinals—after having led the division most of the season. In the NL Wild Card race, Houston also ranked second, trailing the eventual World Series champion Florida Marlins by 4 games. Hence, the Astros missed the playoffs by one game. This was the 10th winning season in the previous 11 for Houston, and the ninth time in 10 seasons since moving to the NL Central that they had finished in either first or second place.