The 1964 Houston Colt .45s season was the third season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, a member of the National League (NL) based at Colt Stadium, The Colt .45s entered the season with a 66–96 record, in ninth place and 33 games behind the NL pennant and World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Colt .45s commenced their season on April 13, hosted by the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field, where Ken Johnson made the Opening Day start for the Astros, who won, 6–3. On April 19, right-hander Bob Bruce delivered the first-ever immaculate inning for Houston.
Ten days after the season started, on April 23, Ken Johnson hurled the second no-hitter in franchise history. However, he became the first pitcher in major league history to lose a complete game no-hitter in nine innings, a 1–0 defeat to Cincinnati.
Pitcher Turk Farrell represented the Colt .45s for the MLB All-Star Game, his fourth career selection.
Manager Harry Craft was terminated on September 19 and replaced by bench coach Lum Harris. The final game at Colt Stadium was hosted on September 27, a 1–0, 12-inning victory over Los Angeles. Jimmy Wynn delivered the final, walk-off hit, while starter Bob Bruce earned the victory via a complete game shutout.
The Colt .45s concluded the 1964 season with a 66–96 record, in ninth place and 27 games behind the NL pennant and eventual World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. This was the final of three seasons in which Houston played as the Colt .45s and at Colt Stadium before being renamed the Astros and relocating to The Astrodome effective the following year.
Offseason Summary The Houston Colt .45s concluded the 1963 campaign with a record, ranking ninth in the National League (NL), 33 games behind the NL pennant and World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.
During the first-ever exhibition game between the Colts and their expansion mates, the New York Mets in Spring Training on March 23, 1964, nineteen-year-old rookie phenom John Paciorek swatted a bases-loaded triple during the first inning. Paciorek had made a triumphant major league debut during the previous year's regular-season finale, going three-for-three with two base on balls. However, due to back injuries, he would be rendered unable to participate in another regular-season major league contest.
On April 8, just days before Opening Day, Colt .45s pitcher Jim Umbricht died of cancer at age 33. Umbricht had returned after diagnosis and treatment in 1963 to pitch in 35 games, but relapse occurred during the offseason. The team officially retired his jersey number 32 the following Opening Day, on April 12, 1965, during a pre-game ceremony and the regular-season opening ceremony of the Astrodome. His jersey number was the first to be retired by the team.
Notable transactions October 10, 1963: Claude Raymond was drafted by the Colt .45s from the Milwaukee Braves in a 1963 special draft.
Regular season Summary April + Opening Day starting lineup Player Position 11 Eddie Kasko Shortstop 2 Nellie Fox Second baseman 3 Pete Runnels First baseman 23 Walt Bond Left fielder 20 Rusty Staub Right fielder 24 Jimmy Wynn Center fielder 14 Bob Aspromonte Third baseman 7 John Bateman Catcher 40 Ken Johnson Pitcher Venue: Crosley Field • Houston 6, Cincinnat 3 Sources:
The Colt .45s triumphed over the Cincinnati Reds at Crosley Field, 6–3, for Opening Day on April 13, to obtain sole possession of first place for the only time during their first three years. In the top of fifth, Nellie Fox's two-run batted in (RBI) single extended Houston's lead, 3–0. and Cincinnati native Jimmy Wynn homered in the sixth inning. President Lyndon B. Johnson, in attendance, looked on as Colts starter Ken Johnson painted a two-hit shutout into the ninth inning, before Bob Skinner launched a two-run blast. Hal Woodeshick recorded the final out for the save.
Bob Bruce's immaculate inning During the eighth inning versus the St. Louis Cardinals on April 19, Bob Bruce entered in relief and hurled the first immaculate inning to club history. The right-hander set down Bill White swinging, Charlie James looking, and Ken Boyer swinging. However, the Colts lost to Bob Gibson in a masterful complete game, 6–1. Bruce returned for ninth inning, whom Johnny Lewis greeted with a single to center field and then stole second base. However, Bruce proceeded to strike out the side again, ringing up Tim McCarver, Julián Javier and Gibson.
Bruce struck the immaculate inning just one day after Sandy Koufax hurled the third of his career.
Ken Johnson's no-hitter On April 23, Houston starter Ken Johnson became the first pitcher in major league history to lose a complete game no-hitter in nine innings when he was beaten 1–0 by the Cincinnati Reds. Cincinnati's Pete Rose scored the only run of the contest. In the ninth inning, he reached second base via error on Vada Pinson's batted ground ball and later scored.
Prior to Johnson's remarkable—though dubious—accomplishment, nine other mound slingers had lost no-hit games in extra innings.
This magnus opus succeeded Don Nottebart after less than one year on May 17, 1963, in a 4–1 triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies as the second no-hitter in franchise history.
In addition to becoming the only pitcher to lose a no-hitter, Johnson's was just the third in the major leagues to have been thrown by an individual pitcher which also did not result in a shutout. Rather, Joe Nuxhall, Johnson's mound opponent, was credited with the shutout and victory.
Among no-hatters by individual pitchers that were not shutouts, Johnson was preceded first by Bob Feller on July 1, 1951, when he led the Cleveland Indians to a 2–1 triumph over the Detroit Tigers, then by Nottebart's effort. This made the Houston Colt .45s the all-time record-holders as a franchise for no-hitters that were complete games but not shutouts. The next bout of this type was imposed by Dean Chance on August 25, 1967, in a 2–1 Minnesota Twins triumph over the Indians. Moreover, on September 8, 1993, Astros moundsman Darryl Kile stymied the New York Mets, 7–1, in this class of no-hitter to extend the Colt .45s/Astros franchise as the major league leader.
June On June 11, Bob Aspromonte smashed a go-ahead grand slam in the bottom of the fifth inning to bring Houston to a 5–2 lead over the Cincinnati Reds. The shot, off Reds starter John Tsitouris (2–4), provided all the support required for winner Claude Raymond (2–1), who tossed innings in relief of Bob Bruce as Houston held on to win, 5–3. However, all of Houston's runs were scored with a two-out upstart in the fifth and were unearned. Facing a 2–0 deficit, Al Spangler worked a base on balls and Nellie Fox followed with a single. Next, Mike White reached on a third-strike passed ball to load the bases, and first baseman Dave Roberts coaxed the second walk of the frame to force in Houston's first run. Aspromonte then followed with his thunderous blast deep to left. Aspromonte's third career slam, it arrived one year to the day following his 10th inning, walk-off grand slam which defeated the Chicago Cubs.
Ken Boyer of the Cardinals connected for the first—and only—cycle at Colt Stadium on June 16. Bob Bruce yielded the double and triple to Boyer, who smacked the home run off Don Larsen in the top of the seventh. The Colt .45s' only tally for the game arrived via Rusty Staub's home run to right off Curt Simmons in the bottom of the seventh. Houston dropped this contest, 7–1.
In another first for pitcher Ken Johnson, he slugged his first career home run on June 21, during the fifth inning of a doubleheader nightcap. The victim was Denny Lemaster of the Milwaukee Braves. Every run counted as Johnson departed the mound with three runs surrendered over innings pitched for a 5–3 lead. Joe Gaines also homered for the Colts, a two-run shot in the seventh. During the bottom of the eighth, Gene Oliver scored on a Denis Menke ground ball double play to shortstop, but Hal Woodeshick got out of rest of the inning unscathed and closed out the contest for his 14th save.
Following the doubleheader sweep of the Braves on June 21, the Colts had assembled a four-game winning streak. They played to their best showing on the season to date, and in seventh place in the National League, but stumbled to the rest of the way.
Bob Aspromonte connected for the final grand slam hit at Colt Stadium on June 29, while becoming the first player in club history to hit two grand slams in the same month. Thus far, Aspromonte had hit four of the first seven grand slams in Colts' team history.
July On July 4, Joe Gaines cranked the final inside-the-park home run at Colt Stadium.
On July 9, Nellie Fox scorched a bases-loaded single that scored John Bateman and Jerry Grote for his first walk-off hit of the season. This capped a rally off Ron Perranoski during the bottom of the ninth inning to topple the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6–5.
September The Colt .45s relieved manager Harry Craft of duty on September 19 and promoted coach Lum Harris to guide the club for the remainder of the season. Craft was Houston's first major league manager as well as the city's final minor league manager, of the Buffaloes. General manager Paul Richards indicated the move was made to allow Craft to pursue other offers for the same position, as two other clubs had interest in his services. Craft had led the club to a record, while the club performed to under Harris for the remaining 13 contests.
Right-hander Larry Dierker made his MLB debut on his 18th birthday on September 22 at Colt Stadium, starting versus the San Francisco Giants. Dierker walked the leadoff batter, Harvey Kuenn, and surrendered a hit to the next hitter, Matty Alou, but retired the next three in order without allowing a run, including retiring Jim Ray Hart for his first career strikeout, and striking out Willie Mays looking to retire the side. However, Orlando Cepeda blasted a home run off Dierker leading off the second. He aggregated innings pitched, surrendered four total runs with two earned, five hits, three bases on balls and three strikeouts. The Colt .45s managed just one run while San Francisco triumphed, 7–1, handing Dierker the loss. Dierker is the last major leaguer to make his debut during his age-17 season.
Final game at Colt Stadium The final contest at Colt Stadium transpired on September 27, hosting the Los Angeles Dodgers. Both starting pitchers, Don Drysdale and Bob Bruce, pumped at least ten sensational innings each as absolute deterrents to scoring. In the bottom of the ninth, Bruce led off and singled for his first hit, and after one out, Joe Morgan likewise singled for his first hit. However, Drysdale induced a ground ball double play from Rusty Staub to retire the side and dispatch the game into extra innings. Ron Perranoski entered for Drysdale for the bottom of the 11th, who earned a game score of 90.
In the bottom of the 12th, with the game having remained scoreless, Morgan led off with a single, becoming the only player in the game to attain more than one hit. Next, Staub took Morgan's place on a failed sacrifice hit, and Walt Bond was retired on a groundout. With two out, Bob Aspromonte took what would be the stadium's last intentional base on balls so Perranoski could face Jimmy Wynn. However, Wynn foiled the strategy to deliver the final, walk-off, hit, which scored Staub for the concluding run at the stadium and a 1–0 Houston triumph.
Bruce (15–9), who pitched all 12 innings, earned the closing victory via a five-hit, six-strikeout, complete game shutout, and a game score of 96. Each of the nine members of the Colts' starting lineup played through the entire 12 innings. This was the longest outing of Bruce's major league career. Moreover, he became Houston's first-ever 15-game winner in a single season.
Performance overview