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1963 Houston Colt .45s season
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Houston Colt .45s |
| season | 1963 |
| league | National League |
| ballpark | Colt Stadium |
| city | Houston, Texas |
| record | |
| league_place | 9th |
| owners | Roy Hofheinz |
| general_managers | Paul Richards |
| managers | Harry Craft |
| television | KHOU (TV) |
| (Gene Elston, Guy Savage, Loel Passe) | |
| radio | KPRC (AM) |
| (Gene Elston, Loel Passe, Mickey Herskowitz) | |
| prev_season | 1962 Houston Colt .45s season |
(Gene Elston, Guy Savage, Loel Passe) (Gene Elston, Loel Passe, Mickey Herskowitz) |}} The 1963 Houston Colt .45s season was the second 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 having finished their inaugural season with a 64–96–2 record, qualifying for eighth place and games behind the NL pennant-winning San Francisco Giants.
On April 9, pitcher Turk Farrell made his only Opening Day start for the Colt .45s, who hosted the San Francisco Giants but were defeated, 9–2. Colt .45s starting pitchers established a franchise record by registering five contests with a game score of 90 or higher. One such outing was by Don Nottebart, who pitched the first no-hitter in franchise history on May 17, by which Houston defeated the Philadelphia Phillies by a score of 4–1. This no-hitter was also just the second in major league history to have been thrown by an individual pitcher which did not result in a shutout.
Pitcher Hal Woodeshick was selected to represent the Colt .45s at the MLB All-Star Game, his lone career selection.
The Colt .45s finished with a record of 66–96, in ninth place and 33 games behind the NL pennant and World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.
First baseman Rusty Staub was selected to the Topps All-Star Rookie Team, the first Colt 45s rookie so named.
Offseason
- November 1, 1962: Joe Morgan was signed as an amateur free agent by the Colt .45s.
- November 26, 1962: Conrad Cardinal was drafted by the Colt .45s from the Detroit Tigres in the 1962 first-year draft.
- November 26, 1962: Ellis Burton was drafted by the Colt .45s from the Milwaukee Braves in the 1962 rule 5 draft.
- November 26, 1962: Don Taussig was drafted from the Colt .45s by the Milwaukee Braves in the 1962 minor league draft.
- November 30, 1962: Joey Amalfitano was traded by the Colt .45s to the San Francisco Giants for Manny Mota and Dick LeMay.
- November 30, 1962: Norm Larker was traded by the Colt .45s to the Milwaukee Braves for Jim Bolger, Don Nottebart, and Connie Grob.
- March 28, 1963: Hal Haydel, Dick LeMay and Merritt Ranew were traded by the Colt .45s to the Chicago Cubs for Dave Gerard and Danny Murphy.
Regular season
Summary
Broadcaster Harry Kalas made his major league debut in 1963 with Houston, replacing Al Helferrceived and working alongside Gene Elston and Loel Passe.
April
| Venue: Colt Stadium • SFG 9, HOU 2 |
|---|
The Colt .45s hosted the San Francisco Giants on Opening Day, with right-hander Turk Farrell, Houston's most accomplished pitcher during their inaugural season, made the start. However, the Giants' bats were well-tuned, scoring four times of Farrell in the second as Orlando Cepeda and Willie Mays both took him deep. The Giants swatted 17 hits. Farrell surrendered five runs over three innings, taking the loss as San Francisco claimed the opener, 9–2. Later, Willie McCovey and Felipe Alou each "touched 'em all" off George Brunet. Al Spangler led the Colts hitters with three hits and a scored.
Bob Bruce's one-hitter
On April 26, right-hander Bob Bruce one-hit the Cincinnati Reds. Bob Lillis and Al Spangler delivered one run batted in (RBI) each to pace Houston's offense for a 2–0 victory. Both starters lasted to earn the complete game, with Bruce (1–1) edging Jim Maloney (2–1) for a game score of 90.
In the bottom of the first, Spangler singled in Pete Runnels for the first tally of the contest. In the bottom of the seventh, Lillis singled in Rusty Staub for the Colts' second run. Bruce issued a base on balls to the Reds' Marty Keough leading off the ninth. With two out, Don Blasingame coaxed another walk to place runners on first and second for the Reds' biggest scoring threat of the contest. However, Bruce got Vada Pinson to ground into an unassisted out to first for the final out of the contest and seal the Colts' victory.
This was the first shutout in club history that resulted in one hit or fewer, the fourth with a game score of 90 or above, and first complete game in franchise history pitched in nine innings or fewer that resulted in a game score of 90 or above.
Don Nottebart's no-hitter
On May 17, Don Nottebart pitched the first no-hitter for an expansion team when Houston defeated Philadelphia by a score of 4–1. In his masterpiece, Nottebart surrendered three walks and struck out eight.
Twenty-year old catcher John Bateman was Nottebart's batterymate. The historic contrest transpired at Colt Stadium before 8,223 fans.
Right fielder Carl Warwick, with a 4-for-4 day at the plate, finished just a double away from hitting for the cycle. During the bottom of the first, Warwick took Jack Hamilton deep for his second home run of the season. In the bottom of the fourth, Warwick scorched a ground ball single to right field off Hamilton. Warwick singled again in the sixth prior to being erased on a Pete Runnels groundball force out. His final hit of the day was a triple to center field against Ryne Duren.
The lead set by Warwick's home run maintained at 1–0 until the top of the fifth inning, when Don Demeter smoked a ground ball through the legs of J. C. Hartman, who was charged with an error. Demeter jetted to second, whom Clay Dalrymple sacrificed to third. Don Hoak then looped a short fly to Howie Goss just behind second base. Demeter then raced home, as Goss' throw to Bateman was off-target, allowing Demeter to score Philadelphia's only run easily and eliminate the shutout bid.
In the bottom of the sixth, Goss atoned for the uncompetitive throw with a three-run drive deep to left that put the Colts in the lead for good, 4–1.
Nottebart maintained the no-hitter and got the complete game with the only blemish being the unearned run in the fifth. In addition, the effort earned a game score of 90.
Nottebart's outing was the fifth (and final) on the season that featured a game score of 90 or higher by a Colts starting pitcher, which set a franchise record—in just the 37th contest of the season.
Houston's subsequent no-hitter was fabricated by Nottebart's rotation-mate, Ken Johnson, less than one year later on April, 23, 1964. Also remarkable was that Johnson's no-hitter paralleled Nottebart's in that it was also achieved without a shutout effort.
June
In the 17th inning on June 2, Astros catcher Jim Campbell delivered the game-winning single for a 3–1 score versus the Milwaukee Braves.
As "revenge" for being exposed in the expansion draft, on June 3, Colts pitcher Turk Farrell took a no-hitter into the seventh inning versus the Los Angeles Dodgers, in tossing a 2–1 masterpiece. Houston's Rusty Staub hit his first career home run.
The first Sunday night game in National League history took place on June 9 at Colt Stadium. The Colt .45s hosted the San Francisco Giants and won, 3–0, to sweep the series. The night games were played as a result of the suffocating heat during day games in the 1962 season.
A little leaguer, recovering in Houston from a lightning strike, received a promise on June 11 from Colt .45s infielder Bob Aspromonte that he would hit a home run. Aspromonte connected for a grand slam in the 10th inning to lead a 6–2 win over the Chicago Cubs. The walk-off grand slam was the first career grand slam for Aspromeonte and first of multiple he would swat against the Cubs. Further, Aspromonte replicated the grand slam event exactly one year later in 1964
July
Twenty-one year old Jimmy Wynn made his MLB debut on July 10, as the starting shortstop, and was 1-for-4 with a stolen base versus the Pittsburgh Pirates Wynn got his first hit off Pirates starter Bob Friend (who tossed a complete game) leading off the top of the ninth inning, and pilfered second for his first major league steal with Bob Lillis batting.
Wynn slugged his first major league home run on July 14, New York Mets, in the top of the fifth at Shea Stadium, from a Don Rowe offering.
On July 15, Ken Johnson surrendered the first and only grand slam by a Houston Colt .45s/Astros hurler to his counterpart, Carl Willey of the New York Mets. The Mets drubbed the Astros, 15–4. Jimmy Wynn stroked his first career double. However, two weeks later on July 26, Aspromonte himself revisited the favor upon the Mets.
On July 26, Bob Aspromonte's grand slam invoked extra import for the visually impaired Bill Bradley, while spearheading a 7–3 defeat of the New York Mets. Bradley, whose sight was restored after three operations over two years, watched the promised blast from his hero, who pointed to him while rounding the bases. Aspromonte's drive accentuated a seven-run opening frame, more than enough required support for ace Turk Farrell to earn the victory.
September
On September 21, just two days after his 20th birthday, Joe Morgan made his major league debut, going hitless in one at bat versus the Philadelphia Phillies. The following day, Morgan achieved his first major league hit, a single in the ninth inning that scored Jimmy Wynn for the walk-off hit and 2–1 triumph over Philadelphia.
In the antepenultimate contest of the season, on September 27, manager Harry Craft devised a strategy to help reverse waning attendance by deploying an all-rookie starting lineup. Per known sources, an all-rookie lineup was unprecedented in major league history. Having entered the series with a four-game winning streak, were they to sweep their expansion brethren, the New York Mets, for the final three-game set, a seven-game winning streak would surpass the longest of the year at six consecutive. However, the Mets routed the Colts, 10–3.
Performance overview
Highlighted by Don Nottebart's no-hitter—the first in franchise history—this Colt .45s pitching staff set a club all-time record by tossing five games with a game score of 90 or higher.
Season standings
Record vs. opponents
Notable transactions
- April 2, 1963: Ellis Burton was purchased from the Colt .45s by the Cleveland Indians.
- April 4, 1963: Manny Mota was traded by the Colt .45s to the Pittsburgh Pirates for Howie Goss and cash.
Roster
| 1963 Houston Colt .45s |
|---|
| **Roster** |
| **Pitchers** |
Player stats
Batting
Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases Positional abbreviations: C = Catcher; 1B = First base; 2B = Second base; 3B = Third base; SS = Shortstop; LF = Left field; CF = Center field; RF = Right field
| Pos | Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | 128 | 404 | 23 | 85 | 8 | 6 | .210 | 10 | 59 | 0 | |
| 1B | 150 | 513 | 43 | 115 | 17 | 4 | .224 | 6 | 45 | 0 | |
| 2B | 102 | 228 | 31 | 42 | 10 | 3 | .184 | 2 | 5 | 4 | |
| 3B | 136 | 468 | 42 | 100 | 9 | 5 | .214 | 8 | 49 | 3 | |
| SS | 147 | 469 | 31 | 93 | 13 | 1 | .198 | 1 | 19 | 3 | |
| LF | 120 | 430 | 52 | 121 | 25 | 4 | .281 | 4 | 27 | 5 | |
| CF | 133 | 411 | 37 | 86 | 18 | 2 | .209 | 9 | 44 | 4 | |
| RF | 150 | 528 | 49 | 134 | 19 | 5 | .209 | 7 | 47 | 3 |
Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; R = Runs scored; H = Hits; 2B = Doubles; 3B = Triples; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in; SB = Stolen bases
| Player | G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | Avg. | HR | RBI | SB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pete Runnels | 124 | 388 | 35 | 98 | 9 | 1 | .253 | 2 | 23 | 2 |
| Johnny Temple | 100 | 322 | 22 | 85 | 12 | 1 | .264 | 1 | 17 | 7 |
| 70 | 250 | 31 | 61 | 10 | 5 | .244 | 4 | 27 | 4 | |
| 55 | 158 | 9 | 35 | 3 | 0 | .222 | 4 | 19 | 0 | |
| 39 | 90 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 | .122 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| Johnny Weekly | 34 | 80 | 4 | 18 | 3 | 0 | .225 | 3 | 14 | 0 |
| Hal Smith | 31 | 58 | 1 | 14 | 2 | 0 | .241 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 34 | 55 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 0 | .200 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| Carroll Hardy | 15 | 44 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 0 | .227 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Glenn Vaughan | 9 | 30 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | .167 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | 25 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 1 | .240 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
| Dave Adlesh | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .286 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Jerry Grote | 3 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ivan Murrell | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aaron Pointer | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .200 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| John Paciorek | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Sonny Jackson | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Pitching
Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | 32 | 224.0 | 11 | 17 | 2.65 | 86 | 66 | 50 | 148 | |
| 34 | 26 | 202.1 | 14 | 13 | 3.02 | 76 | 68 | 35 | 141 | |
| 31 | 27 | 193.0 | 11 | 8 | 3.17 | 80 | 68 | 39 | 118 | |
| 30 | 25 | 170.1 | 5 | 9 | 3.59 | 73 | 68 | 60 | 123 | |
| 26 | 20 | 141.1 | 5 | 11 | 3.31 | 54 | 52 | 60 | 68 | |
| Larry Yellen | 1 | 1 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 | 3.60 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 1 | 1 | 2.2 | 0 | 1 | 16.88 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; GS = Games started; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | G | GS | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 | 14 | 97.2 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 4.98 | 61 | 54 | 49 | 58 | |
| Chris Zachary | 22 | 7 | 57.0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4.89 | 38 | 31 | 22 | 42 |
| 6 | 1 | 13.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.08 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 7 | |
| 5 | 2 | 12.2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7.11 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 11 | |
| Jim Golden | 3 | 1 | 6.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5.68 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; R = Runs allowed; ER = Earned runs allowed; BB = Walks allowed; K = Strikeouts
| Player | G | IP | W | L | SV | ERA | R | ER | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | 114.0 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 1.97 | 29 | 25 | 42 | 94 | |
| Don McMahon | 49 | 80.0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 4.05 | 38 | 36 | 26 | 51 |
| Jim Umbricht | 35 | 76.0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2.61 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 48 |
| Russ Kemmerer | 17 | 36.2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5.65 | 28 | 23 | 8 | 12 |
| 13 | 14.2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 6.14 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 6 | |
| Joe Hoerner | 1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27.00 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Awards and honors
Grand slams
| No. | Date | Astros batter | Venue | Inning | Pitcher | Opposing team | Box |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 11 | Colt Stadium | 9† | [Chicago Cubs](1963-chicago-cubs-season) | |||
| 2 | July 26 | Colt Stadium | 1₰ | [New York Mets](1963-new-york-mets-season) | |||
| †—Walk-off • ₰—Tied score or took lead |
Awards
- Houston Colt .45s Most Valuable Player (MVP): Hal Woodeshick
- MLB All-Star—reserve pitcher: Hal Woodeshick
- Topps All-Star Rookie Team—First baseman: Rusty Staub
Minor league system
;Championships
- Pacific Coast League champions: Oklahoma City
References
;Footnotes
;Sources
References
- "Joe Morgan stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". [[Baseball-Reference.com]].
- "Conrad Cardinal stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Ellis Burton stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Don Taussig stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Manny Mota stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Norm Larker stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com.
- [https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/haydeha01.shtml Hal Haydel] at ''Baseball Reference''
- Reed, Robert. ''A Six-Gun Salute: An Illustrated History of the Colt .45s''. Houston, Texas: Gulf Publishing Co., 1999.
- Barron, David. (April 13, 2009). "Phillies announcer Kalas dies after collapsing in booth". [[Houston Chronicle]].
- (April 9, 1963). "San Francisco Giants (9) vs Houston Colt .45s (2)". [[Baseball Almanac]].
- "1963 Houston Colt .45s uniform numbers". Baseball-Reference.com.
- (April 9, 1963). "San Francisco Giants (9) vs Houston Colt .45s (2) box score". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Astros history – Timeline". [[MLB.com]].
- (April 26, 1963). "Cincinnati Reds (0) vs Houston Colt .45s (2) box score". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Player pitching game stats finder–baseball". [[Sports Reference]].
- "Player pitching game stats finder–baseball". Sports Reference.
- ''Great Baseball Feats, Facts and Figures'', 2008 Edition, p. 143, David Nemec and Scott Flatow, A Signet Book, Penguin Group, New York, {{ISBN. 978-0-451-22363-0
- Schwartzberg, Seth. (May 17, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 17". [[SB Nation]].
- Clements, Olen. (May 18, 1963). "Don Nottebart hurls first Colt no-hitter". [[Houston Chronicle]].
- (May 17, 1963). "Philadelphia Phillies (1) vs Houston Colt .45s (4) box score". Baseball-Reference.com.
- Seidman, Eric. (April 25, 2011). "The non-shutout no-hitter". [[FanGraphs]].
- "Player pitching game stats finder–baseball". Sports Reference.
- "Official no-hitters in Major League Baseball". Baseball Almanac.
- Schwartzberg, Seth. (June 2, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 2". SB Nation.
- Schwartzberg, Seth. (June 3, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 3". SB Nation.
- Schwartzberg, Seth. (June 9, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 9". SB Nation.
- Schwartzberg, Seth. (June 11, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 11". SB Nation.
- "Bob Aspromonte career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com.
- (June 11, 1964). "Cincinnati Reds (3) vs Houston Colt .45s (5) box score". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Jim Wynn stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Jim Wynn 1963 batting game logs". Baseball-Reference.com.
- (July 10, 1963). "Houston Astros (2) vs Pittsburgh (0) box score". Baseball-Reference.com.
- "Jimmy Wynn career home runs". Baseball-Reference.com.
- Sutton, Keith. "Pitchers hitting grand slams". [[Society for American Baseball Research]] (SABR).
- (July 26, 1963). "New York Mets (3) vs Houston Colt .45s (7) box score". Baseball-Reference.com.
- Hulsey, Bob. "This date in Astros history". Astros Daily.
- "Joe Morgan stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com.
- (September 21, 1963). "Philadelphia Phillies (1) vs Houston Colt .45s (2) box score". Baseball-Reference.com.
- Glassman, Steve. (September 27, 1963). "Houston Colt .45s start a lineup of all rookies". [[Society for American Baseball Research]] (SABR).
- Herskowitz, Mickey. (September 28, 1963). "Mets wallop Colts rookie lineup, 10–3". Houston Chronicle.
- "Player pitching game stats finder–baseball". Sports Reference.
- Geisler Young, LLC –. "1963 Houston Colt .45s Roster by Baseball Almanac".
- (June 11, 1963). "Chicago Cubs (2) vs Houston Colt .45s (6) box score". Baseball-Reference.com.
- McTaggart, Brian. (December 21, 2009). "Bourn highlights Astros' awards season". MLB.com.
- "1963 All-Star Game". Baseball Almanac.
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