The 1972 Houston Astros season was the 11th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their eighth as the Astros, 11th in the National League (NL), fourth in the NL West division, and eighth at The Astrodome. The Astros ended the season with a 79–83 record, tied for fourth place, and 11 games behind the division-champion San Francisco Giants.
The first players' strike in league history occurred on April 1–13, which resulted in nine games being cancelled for Houston. On April 15, Don Wilson made his second Opening Day start for the Astros, who hosted San Francisco. They were shut out by the score of 5–0.
Three managers led the club during the 1972 season: Harry Walker, Salty Parker for one game, and Leo Durocher, who was installed as Walker's permanent replacement. Each represented the fourth, fifth and sixth managers for Houston, with Walker having been the longest-serving manager (708 games) in franchise history. The Astros' first-round draft pick in the amateur draft that year was outfielder Steve Englishbey, at ninth overall. They also selected Jim Crawford in the 14th round.
Center fielder César Cedeño and first baseman Lee May represented the Astros at the MLB All-Star Game. It was the first career selection for Cedeño and third for May. On August 2, Cedeño became the first player in franchise history to hit for the cycle, leading a 10–1 win over the Cincinnati Reds at The Astrodome. This was the first of two cycles that Cedeño hit as a member of the Astros. He also became the second major leaguer to join the 20–50 club, following Lou Brock in 1967.
The Astros concluded that season with a record of 84–69—their first-ever winning season. They also set the franchise record for wins—in second place in the NL West, games behind the division-champion and NL pennant-winning Reds, and just a percentage point ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It also represented the highest positional finish and fewest games back of first place for the Astros at the time. The next time the Astros finished as high as second place was in 1979, which was also when they set their next club record for wins.
Following the season, Cedeño (first selection) and Doug Rader (third selection) each earned Gold Glove Awards. This was the first time the Astros had more than one Gold Glove Award winner in the same season.
Offseason November 29, 1971: Joe Morgan, Ed Armbrister, Jack Billingham, César Gerónimo, and Denis Menke were traded by the Astros to the Cincinnati Reds for Lee May, Tommy Helms, and Jimmy Stewart. December 2, 1971: John Mayberry and Dave Grangaard (minors) were traded by the Astros to the Kansas City Royals for Jim York and Lance Clemons.
Regular season Summary April
+ Opening Day starting lineup Player Position 14 Roger Metzger Shortstop 28 César Cedeño Center fielder 24 Jimmy Wynn Right fielder 23 Lee May First baseman 27 Bob Watson Left fielder 12 Doug Rader Third baseman 19 Tommy Helms Second baseman 7 Johnny Edwards Catcher 40 Don Wilson Pitcher Venue: Astrodome • San Francisco 5, Houston 0 Sources:
For Opening Day, the Astros hosted the San Francisco Giants. They were defeated via shutout, 5–0, led by Juan Marichal's eight scoreless innings. The Giants did all their damage from the sixth inning on, as Willie McCovey and Tito Fuentes each took Don Wilson deep for home runs. The Astros got eight hits, but were just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position. Don Wilson made his second Opening Day start for the Astros.
The second day of the season, April 16, saw Giants' Dave Kingman hit for the first cycle at the Astrodome, leading the Giants to a 10–6 pummeling of the Astros. Kingman led all hitters in the game with six runs batted in (RBI), while Bobby Bonds doubled twice, pilfered two bases, and scored four runs. Bob Watson and Tommy Helms each hit three runs blasts for Houston, during the first and fifth innings, respectively.
On April 23, the Astros dazed the Giants with 10-run ninth to prevail, 13–7. César Cedeño stroked five hits with a double and two stolen bases. Bob Watson and Lee May homered. Cedeño even logged his first career five-hit game.
On April 30, the Astros amassed 10 hits and 10 base on balls each in a contest played in 9 innings or fewer for the second time in franchise history. The Colt .45s first did so on September 29, 1963. Houston topped the St. Louis Cardinals, 7 to 6, spearheaded by right fielder Jimmy Wynn, who thumped his first two doubles of the year and drew two walks. Catcher Johnny Edwards stroked two hits and coaxed two walks. The Astros poked six two-baggers overall, one each added by the quartet of Tommy Helms, César Cedeño, Bob Watson, and Doug Rader. Starter Don Wilson (1–1) hurled frames to obtain the win, and allowed five runs, with just one charged as earned. Jim Ray relieved, assumed the final innings, converted the save (2), and added a single. Meanwhile, future Astro José Cruz, joined Jimmy Wynn by collecting his first two doubles of the campaign.
May On May 1, Jimmy Wynn's three hits—including a grand slam and a double—keyed a 9–8 triumph over the Pittsburgh Pirates at Three Rivers Stadium. Wynn hit the grand slam in the top of the fifth inning to give Houston a 4–3 lead. The following inning, Johnny Edwards' three-run home run extended Houston's lead to 7–3. However, the Pirates tied the score in the bottom of the sixth inning, capped by Roberto Clemente's first home run of the season. In the top of the ninth, Bob Watson hit and RBI single, and Tommy Helms' sacrifice fly provided the necessary insurance run for victory. César Cedeño added three hits apiece while. Jim Ray (4–0) maintained the edge for the final two innings to obtain the victory.
Bob Watson earned the first monthly accolade in club history, by receiving the National League (NL) Player of the Month Award for May. During this period, Watson slashed .360 / .405 / .620 / 1.025, also accruing six home runs, 20 RBI, and 19 runs scored.
June The Philadelphia Phillies hosted "Turn It Around Night" on June 6 at Veterans Stadium, where the theme was doing everything backward, including announcing the lineup cards from bottom to top and holding the seventh-inning stretch in the third inning. Astros starter Dave Roberts followed suit, providing the offense by homering twice to promote his own effort on the mound, as Houston won, 4–3.
With Steve Carlton on the mound for Philadelphia on June 16, the game remained scoreless through extra innings. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Jimmy Wynn connected for a walk-off home run to give the Astros a 1–0 victory. The walk-off blast was the second of Wynn's career, following the same achievement on June 26, 1966.
Starting June 18, Astros starting pitchers hurled back-to-back one-hit shutouts. First, Jerry Reuss led a 10–0 masterpiece over the Phillies, with the only hit surrendered a ninth-inning double by Larry Bowa. César Cedeño collected four hits to power Houston, including a home run and two doubles. Reuss fanned nine, issued four walks, earned the complete game, and game score of 90. At the plate, Reuss drew a walk that led to a run scored. Bob Watson added two doubles and tallied four RBI. Cedeño's four-hit bout was the fourth of his career. The following game, on June 19, Larry Dierker hurled a one-hitter to usher in a 3–0 triumph over the New York Mets, whose only base runner—Duffy Dyer—reached via a third-inning single. Tommy Helms led the Astros' offense with four hits.
Each of the first five Astros' hits on June 26 were home runs, which brought them to a 7–7 tie with the San Diego Padres. San Diego was unable to answer back, however, and Houston kept scoring to win the outcome by a score of 14–7.
César Cedeño followed up Bob Watson's NL Player of the Month honors with a recognition of his own for the month of June. Cedeño powered himself to a .387 average, .452 OBP, .748 SLG, and 1.200 OPS. He scored 27 runs, swatted nine doubles, bashed nine home runs, collected 19 RBI to go along with 43 hits and 83 total bases.
MLB All-Star Game Center fielder César Cedeño and first baseman Lee May both earned selection to the MLB All-Star Game, hosted at Atlanta Stadium. Lee, voted a starter for the game, collected a single and an RBI in four trips to the plate. Cedeño substituted for Willie Mays in center field, and delivered a single in the bottom of the sixth. Next, Hank Aaron homered to deep left-center field, scoring Cedeño. In the bottom of the ninth, May hit a ground ball fielder's choice, scoring Billy Williams to pull the National League (NL) into a tie with the American League (AL), 3–3. During the bottom of the tenth, former Astro Joe Morgan laced a walk-off single to score Nate Colbert and give the NL a 4–3 triumph.
Morgan had become the first Astro to be selected as a starter in the 1966 Midsummer Classic, and Lee the second. However, Morgan missed the game due to an injury, allowing Lee to became the first Astro to participate in the starting lineup. Curiously, it was a batted line drive by another Lee Maye on June 25, 1966—albeit with a slightly different spelling—Morgan's then-teammate, that struck him on the knee, fracturing it. Thus, Morgan missed the next 40 games; three days later, it was announced that he was named starter for the All-Star lineup, the first player in Houston franchise history.
César Cedeño's cycle At the Astrodome on August 2, Cedeño hit for the cycle to become the first player in franchise history to accomplish that feat. He doubled in the first inning, connected for a home run off Gary Nolan in the third, and singled in the fifth. In the sixth inning, Cedeño grounded out.
Cedeño's final at bat and opportunity to make history arrived in the eighth inning. He stroked a line drive to the right-center field gap for a triple. This effort gave Houston a 10–1 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Cedeño later hit for the cycle almost four years later on August 9, 1976.
Extra-base hits fell frequently for Houston that day, with eight among 16 total safeties. Jimmy Wynn doubled twice, Roger Metzger also tripled, and Lee May added a home run. Meanwhile, Don Wilson (7–7) was masterful on the mound as he scattered six hits and three walks while whiffing six in a complete game effort.
His sixth career contest of four hits or more, and fifth with four RBI—tying his then-career high—Cedeño's batting average jumped to .353. Meanwhile, the Astros trailed Cincinnati by just six games following the contest.
Rest of August On August 25, Jimmy Wynn blasted his 200th career home run off Mike Marshall in the bottom of the seventh inning at the Astrodome. A two-run shot, it tied the contest, 3–3, with the Montreal Expos, also scoring César Cedeño. However, Marshall redeemed himself in the top of the ninth, while batting, by doubling home John Boccabella off the Astros' Jim Ray. The hit put Montreal ahead 4–3, and this time, Marshall (14–3) made the lead stand, changing the blown save into a victory.
The Astros, playing their best baseball ever, were desperate to catch the Reds. Following the August 25 loss to Montreal, they fired their longest-tenured manager at the time, Harry Walker, who had the club playing for the season ( career with Houston), and replaced him for one game with coach Salty Parker (1–0). Following that game, Leo Durocher, having departed the Chicago Cubs earlier in the year, took over for the remainder of the campaign, leading Houston to a result to close out the season.
September With a 6–5 defeat of San Diego on September 13, the 77th victory of the season for Houston , the Astros clinched their first winning season in franchise annals, due to its abbreviation to 153 games Tom Griffin (3–3) hurled seven innings in relief and fanned 10 to earn the victory to make it a final score of Houston 6, San Diego 5. Lee May collected three hits. Jimmy Wynn scored twice.