This tale is an excerpt from Brian McTaggart’s Astros Beat newsletter. To read the entire newsletter, click here. Also, subscribe to receive it delivered to your inbox on a regular schedule.
Anaheim — On Friday night, the Astros won for the 5,000th time in franchise history. From Bobby Shantz’s first pitch in team history on April 10, 1962, to Josh Hader’s final pitch in Friday’s 5-3 victory over the Angels, it’s been a 62-year journey.
The Astros became the 18th team in history to achieve 5,000 victories, following the Angels, who became the first expansion club to do so earlier this year, and their road to the milestone was distinct. They’ve competed in the National League and the American League, occupied three different ballparks, won two World Series championships, produced two Hall of Famers, and had 1,001 different players suit up.
The expansion Colt.45s lost 96 games in all three seasons before being replaced by the Astros in 1965, who went even further and lost 97 games that year. Houston did not have a winning season until 1972, when the Astros went 84-69.
The franchise’s bleak early years gave rise to postseason teams in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as an NL pennant in 2005. However, it wasn’t until 2006 that the Colt.45’s/Astros broke even, with an overall.500 record. In May 2006, the Astros briefly rose above.500 before dropping again.
Three consecutive 100-loss seasons sent the Houston Astros into baseball purgatory, but a rebuilding effort that began in 2015 and concluded in a World Series triumph in 2017 altered the franchise’s trajectory. The Astros are close to winning their seventh AL West division title in eight seasons.
The Astros are 5,000-4,960 after Friday’s victory, which means they will lose their 5,000th game next season and play in their 10,000th game overall. For now, here are the figures for 5,000 wins:
First franchise win: April 10, 1962 (as Colt.45s) against the Cubs (11-2).
The Astros won their first game against the Mets on April 14, 1965, 7-6.
First AL win: March 31, 2013 (4,000th all-time win), against the Rangers (8-2).
The most wins in a season: 107 in 2019.
longest winning streak: 12 games (June 6–18, 2018)
Largest margin of victory: 21 runs on August 10, 2019, versus Baltimore (23-2).
Largest comeback win: 11 runs, July 18, 1994, vs. St. Louis (trailing 11-0 after the third inning and winning 15-12)
Record as Colt.45s (1962-64), 196-288.
Record as Astros (1965–present): 4,804–4,672
Record in the Netherlands (1962–2012): 3,999–4,134.
Record in AL (2013–present): 1,001-826
Record at Colt Stadium: 117-125.
The Astrodome’s record is 1,564-1,210, while Minute Maid Park’s record is 1,082-877.
Most wins against specific opponents: 1. Reds: 401 2. Cubs: 383 3. Giants: 354 4. Pirates: 346 5. Cardinals: 335 Most wins played in: 1. Craig Biggio: 1,478 2. Jeff Bagwell: 1,142 3. Jose Altuve: 952 4. Jose Cruz: 940 5. Lance Berkman: 828 Most games won by a manager: 1. Bill Virdon: 544 2. A.J. Hinch: 481 3. Larry Dierker: 435 4. Art Howe: 392 5. Harry Walker: 355
