The 1962 Houston Colt .45s season was the inaugural season for the expansion team in Major League Baseball (MLB) located in Houston, Texas, which were established as a member of the National League (NL), and based at Colt Stadium.
The first manager named for the Colt .45s was Harry Craft, having previously guided the Triple-A Houston Buffaloes in the same post through the 1961 season. Introduced along with the New York Mets, the Colt .45s formed their major league roster through the 1961 expansion draft, and their first pick was shortstop Ed Bressoud.
The first game in franchise history took place on April 10, 1962, at Colt Stadium hosting the Chicago Cubs, which Houston won, 11–2. Opening Day starting pitcher Bobby Shantz threw the first pitch in club history, while Bob Aspromonte delivered the first hit. Shantz tossed a complete game and Román Mejías connected for the first home run and a total of two on the day. This was the first MLB game played in the state of Texas. Through the first three months of the season, the Colt .45s played to a 32–41 record. However, they struggled to a 5–24 record in the month of July.
Pitcher Turk Farrell represented the Colt .45s for both MLB All-Star Games that year, his second and third career selections. In September, Houston secured the first winning month in club history, at 15–12.
The Colt .45s concluded the season with a 64–96–2 record, in eighth place among 10 NL clubs, and games behind the NL pennant-winning San Francisco Giants. Houston would lose 96 games each of their first three seasons, representing the original club record until 1965, when they lost 97. The games behind established another club record that remained until 1975, when they placed games behind the NL West division-champion Cincinnati Reds.
Shantz, a stellar defender off the mound throughout his career, was recognized with the sixth of eight career Gold Glove Awards following the season.
Offseason
Summary On January 3, 1962, a groundbreaking ceremony was showcased to establish the construction of the Astrodome. The ceremony included the firing of pistols into the earth by team, city, and county officials.
Transactions September 11, 1961: Rusty Staub was signed as an amateur free agent by the Colt .45's. October 13, 1961: Al Cicotte was purchased by the Colt .45s from the St. Louis Cardinals. March 24, 1962: Dave Philley was signed as a free agent by the Colt .45s. March 24, 1962: Dave Philley was traded by the Colt .45s to the Boston Red Sox for Tom Borland. Prior to 1962 season: J. C. Hartman was acquired by the Colt .45s from the Houston Buffaloes as part of a minor league working agreement.
Expansion draft
The Colt .45s were one of two teams added to the National League before the 1962 season, the other being the New York Mets. This brought the number of teams in the NL to ten, matching the 1961 expansion of the American League (AL).
+ Legend All-Star All-Star with Houston Regular phase I $75,000 (USD, $ today) Regular phase II $50,000 (USD, $ today) Premium phase $125,000 (USD, $ today) + Houston Colt .45s selections Pick Player Position Phase Previous team 1 Infielder Regular I San Francisco Giants 3 Infielder Los Angeles Dodgers 5 Infielder St. Louis Cardinals 7 Pitcher Chicago Cubs 9 Center fielder 11 Outfielder Pittsburgh Pirates 13 Second baseman Philadelphia Phillies 15 Pitcher 17 Catcher Milwaukee Braves 19 Outfielder St. Louis Cardinals 21 Pitcher Pittsburgh Pirates 23 First baseman Los Angeles Dodgers 25 Pitcher San Francisco Giants 27 Pitcher Milwaukee Braves 29 Pitcher Cincinnati Reds 31 First baseman 33 Infielder Regular II St. Louis Cardinals 35 Pitcher Pittsburgh Pirates 37 Pitcher Los Angeles Dodgers 38 Infielder Premium San Francisco Giants 40 Pitcher Los Angeles Dodgers 42 Catcher Pittsburgh Pirates 44 Outfielder Milwaukee Braves Source::
1961 minor league affiliates The Colt .45s and Mets were established on October 17, 1960, giving them time to acquire professional minor-league players, sign amateur free agents (there was no MLB first-year player draft until 1965) and enter into working agreements with minor league affiliates during the 1961 season. Houston had formal working agreements with two minor league baseball teams in 1961 (see table below). In addition, the roster of the 1961 Houston Buffs of the Triple-A American Association, officially a minor-league affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, would include a handful of players signed by the Colt .45s. The most prominent of these was Dave Giusti, then 21, who went on to a 15-year MLB career.
Regular season Summary The inaugural series + Cubs Opening Day starting lineup Colt .45s Opening Day starting lineup Player Position Player Position 24 Lou Brock Center fielder 14 Bob Aspromonte Third baseman 16 Ken Hubbs Second baseman 21 Al Spangler Center fielder 26 Billy Williams Left fielder 25 Román Mejías Right fielder 14 Ernie Banks First baseman 10 Norm Larker First baseman 21 George Altman Right fielder 23 Jim Pendleton Left fielder 10 Ron Santo Third baseman 8 Hal Smith Catcher 19 Elder White Shortstop 11 Joey Amalfitano Second baseman 9 Cuno Barragan Catcher 18 Don Buddin Shortstop 43 Don Cardwell Pitcher 42 Bobby Shantz Pitcher Attendance: 25,271 Sources:
+ Umpiring crewPosition Umpire Home plate Dusty Boggess First base Stan Landes Second base Vinnie Smith Third base Mel Steiner
The Colt .45s started their inaugural season on April 10, 1962, with an 11–2 triumph over the Chicago Cubs. Southpaw Bobby Shantz, a former American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP), started for Houston, while his mound opponent was the veteran, Don Cardwell. Shantz struck out Cubs leadoff hitter, Lou Brock, for the first out. Kenny Hubbs ground out to shortstop Don Buddin for the second out and first fielding chance. Billy Williams then singled to right field, but Shantz retired cleanup hitter Ernie Banks on a ground out to third baseman Bob Aspromonte. During the bottom of the first frame, Aspromonte led off for the Colts to take the club's first-ever plate appearance, and plugged a ground ball single to left field for the premier safety in club history. Center fielder Al Spangler lined a triple deep down the right field line, which scored Aspromonte, and allowed Houston take their first-ever lead, 1–0. During the bottom of the third inning with no outs, Román Mejías connected for the first home run in Colts' franchise history. Two outs later, catcher Hal Smith followed suit for his first home run of the season. Mejías connected for a second home run in the eighth inning, on the way to going 3-for-5 with six runs batted in (RBI). Spangler was 2-for-3 with two bases on balls, and Shantz went the distance to earn both the first complete game and victory in Houston franchise history.
By virtue of driving in 6 runs in the Colt .45s' inaugural game, Mejías established the single-game franchise RBI record, which stood until August 29, 1989, when Rafael Ramírez produced 7 RBI in a ten-inning game, also against the Cubs. Mejías continued the momentum of his brilliant start, establishing another Colt .45s record with an eight-game hitting streak to open the 1962 campaign, and followed that up by starting another hitting streak the following month.
In the second game on April 11, Hal Woodeshick and Dick "Turk" Farrell combined to produce Houston's first shutout victory, 2–0. Hal Smith stroked a two-run single in the first innings to account for all of the game's scoring. Moreover, this contest actualized the franchise's first-ever rain delay, spanning one hour and seven minutes. During the Opening Series finale on April 12, Dean Stone tossed the first complete-game shutout in Colts franchise history, a three-hitter that led a 3–0 win. Stone's effort also capped a three-game sweep of the Cubs in Houston's first-ever series in their first homestand. With a 3–0 record, the Colt .45s retained a share of the National League lead with the San Francisco Giants.
Rest of April Following their inaugural three-game series during which the hosted Chicago, the Colts ventured to Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia for the first-ever contest on the road in franchise annals on April 13, 1962, where they also met their first-ever defeat. There, the Phillies triumphed, 3–2, as Turk Farrell sustained his first defeat in a Colt .45 uniform. Norm Larker and Joey Amalfitano led Houston with two hits apiece. Right-hander Jack Hamilton scattered seven hits as he went the distance for Philadelphia, while Tony González tripled and homered.
Houston then hosted the St. Louis Cardinals for the first time on April 24, 1962. Prior to joining the National League, Houston's Buffaloes had served as one of the Cardinals' minor league affiliates over a span of four decades, where many future Cardinals stars made their way to the major leagues. Don Taussig, a Colt .45s expansion draftee from the Cardinals, hit the go-ahead home run off Larry Jackson in the sixth inning that set a 4–3 Colts victory. Hal Woodeshick navigated five errors to earn the victory. This was Taussig's only home run for Houston, and the final of his major league career.
On April 25, Merritt Ranew assembled the first four-hit game for the Colt .45s, which occurred over a 17-inning contest against St. Louis that concluded in a 5–5 tie. Over eight plate appearances, Merritt tripled and homered. This was the first final score resulting in a tie in club history, as well as the Colts' longest bout of the campaign. Their overall record maintained above .500 at ; however, it would be the final date in franchise history until April 2006 that they ended the day with an all-time winning record.
Spangler furnished the first four-hit contest for Houston which was played in nine innings and under on April 28. Houston dropped this outcome to Milwaukee, however, 9–3.
The first walk-off home run in franchise history—as well as the first walk-off hit—were simultaneously furnished by Mejías on April 29. A 3–2 thriller over the Milwaukee Braves, Farrell earned his first victory in a Colts uniform, seizing the final out of the top of the ninth. All three of Houston's runs were via the long ball; Hal Smith and Jim Pendleton also went deep.
The team finished April with a record, 4 games in front of fellow-expansion club the New York Mets and only 5 games behind the National League-leading Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates.
May During a five-day span in early May, Colt .45s hurlers established multiple strikeout firsts in franchise annals.
Ken Johnson achieved Houston's first double-digit strikeout game during his start on May 2, with 10 punchouts over 7 innings. Though he got more whiffs than his mound opponent, Bob Gibson (nine), Gibson hurled a masterful complete game performance as the Cardinals defeated the Colt .45s, 4–1. All four runs were charged to Johnson, who fell to 0–4, as Bill White took him deep and Julio Gotay collected three safeties.
Two days after Johnson tossed the first double-digit strikeout game for the new franchise, on May 4, Bob Bruce matched this achievement in a relief outing with 10 for the first time in club history. During the opening frame, Milwaukee ambushed Colts starter Woodeshick with four tallies. Woodeshick recorded just two outs when Bruce entered in the bottom of the first, striking out Amado Samuel to retire the side. Bruce (1–0) pitched into the ninth and picked up his first victory as a Colt .45 while the offense mounted a comeback. Dick Gernert plated Amalfitano for the go-ahead score in the top of the seventh. Hal Smith and Jim Pendleton homered in a 7–4 final.
Through Aspromonte's and Larker's performance on May 5, the Colt .45s recorded their first contest in which two or more hitters each collected four or more hits. This occurred in a 6–5 defeat to Milwaukee in 12 innings.