1979 Houston Astros season

Offseason

• December 8, 1978: Floyd Bannister was traded by the Astros to the Seattle Mariners for Craig Reynolds.

Regular season

Summary

Opening Day

For Opening Day, April 6, the Astros hosted and defeated the Atlanta Braves, 2–1. Starter J. R. Richard hurled one-run ball over frames, earning the victory. During the bottom of the first inning, Enos Cabell punched a run batted in-single that plated Terry Puhl and José Cruz for all the support Richard would require. Joaquín Andújar took over for the final frames to earn the save. Richard's Opening Day start was his fourth, tying him with Larry Dierker for most by an Astros hurler.

Ken Forsch's no-hitter

On April 7, Ken Forsch tossed a no-hitter of the Braves to lead a 6–0 win at the Astrodome. From the second until the eighth inning, the Astros hurler retired 20 batters consecutively. Catcher Alan Ashby, who tripled in two runs in in the seventh to chase Braves' starter Larry McWilliams, drove in three overall.

In the eighth inning, shortstop Craig Reynolds made a key play, stabbing a line shot to his left barreled off the bat of Dale Murphy. Reynolds fielded the scorcher on one-hop, and fired to first for the out.

During the ninth, Forsch secured a ground ball out from pinch-hitter Rowland Office. Next, Jerry Royster battled, with a ball, a strike, then another ball, before pegging a vicious liner eight feet foul down the third-base line. Royster ended the at bat with a meek grounder to Reynolds. One pitch later, Glenn Hubbard lightly tapped a slow roller to Reynolds, who threw to first for the final out of the masterpiece.

The sixth no-hitter in club history, Forsch's was the first for the Astros since Larry Dierker no-hit the Montreal Expos on July 9, 1976. The subsequent achievement by a Houston Astro was by Nolan Ryan, who srymied the Los Angeles Dodgers on September 26, 1981.

The April 7 date was the earliest in the calendar year for a no-hitter until Hideo Nomo accomplished the feat on April 6, 2001.

Forsch's batterymate, Ashby, who caught the no-hitter, did so for the first of three for Houston.

Though Forsch had been mainstay on the Astros' pitching staff throughout the entire decade since picking up his first major league win in 1970, he had authored a 23–28 record over the next three seasons. Hence, Forsch was moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen. He did gain an All-Star selection in 1976 while recording 19 saves. In 1979, Forsch was reinstated into the rotation. Hence, the Forsches become the first set of brothers to have pitched a no-hitter in the major leagues..

Forsch was recognized with the NL Player of the Week Award for April 8.

Rest of April

During his second start of the season on April 10, Richard set the modern-day record for wild pitches uncorked in one game, with 6. In spite of notable lack of control including four bases on balls issued, Richard fired a six-hit complete game against the Los Angeles Dodgers with just one run surrendered, struck out 13, and obtained a game score of 80 for his second win of the season. Houston won by a margin of 2–1, propelled by two doubles courtesy of César Cedeño, another by José Cruz, and a run batted in (RBI) single by Enos Cabell.

Three Astros authored concurrent hitting streaks, with the first starting April 17, and lasting exactly 15 games each. All overlapped from April 26 through May 5. On April 17, Craig Reynolds, began his and maintained until May 5, batting .386. José Cruz produced his from April 21–May 9, hitting .393. Finally, Enos Cabell followed suit, going from April 26 to May 11, batting .320.

Cruz' hitting streak represented his best while in an Astros' uniform until he hit in 19 straight from August 23—September 12, 1983. Cabell's and Reynolds' represented career-highs while with Houston.

For the month of April, Forsch was recognized with the National League (NL) Pitcher of the Month Award. In 5 games, all starts, he went 3–0 with a 2.39 earned run average (ERA) over innings pitched, and 1.017 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP).

May

On May 9, to protest the calls of substitute umpire Dave Pallone, the Cardinals bench threw helmets and bats onto the field, which led to the ejection of the Cardinals' entire coaching staff. Pallone, who previously had worked in the minor leagues, was appointed to officiate the game due to the umpires strike.

The sale of the Astros was announced on May 10 from the Ford Motor Credit Company to Dr John McMullen, formerly a partner of George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees. Quipped McMullen, "There is nothing in life quite so limited as being a limited partner of George Steinbrenner." Six days later, the National League approved for McMullen, a businessman and former Naval architect, to acquire the franchise for a reported figure of $19 million. McMullen had previously owned the Astros and also later became owner of the NHL's New Jersey Devils. This date corresponded to the announcement of another sale of the team which took place in 2011.

The Astros posted a season-high 11 runs scored on May 12 during the premier contest of a doubleheader versus the Chicago Cubs. Cruz, Reynolds, and Terry Puhl each had three hits and at least two runs batted in (RBI), while Bob Watson, Julio González, and Alan Ashby each collected two hits. The Astros totaled 16 hits and 5 bases on balls. Meanwhile, Forsch went the distance, allowed just 2 earned runs to pick up his fourth win, and registered a game score of 64.

During the month of May, Joe Niekro made 7 starts and registered a perfect 6–0 record with 1.70 ERA over frames, four complete games, two shutouts, and 1.029 WHIP. Hence, Niekro was recognized as NL Pitcher of the Month, succeeding Forsch in a consecutive month.

June

During the month of June, Joaquín Andújar made six starts, while registering a 5–1 record with 1.59 ERA over 51 frames, five complete games, and 1.020 WHIP. Hence, Andújar was recognized as NL Pitcher of the Month, succeeding Forsch and Niekro for a third consecutive month. This was the first time that Houston presented three awardees during a single season.

MLB All-Star Game

For the first time, four Astros represented the club at the MLB All-Star Game, including shortstop Craig Reynolds, his second selection, and pitchers Joe Niekro (first), Joaquín Andújar (second), and Joe Sambito (first). Prior to this, three were appointed for the 1967 Classic. This record was tied at the 1986 Game, and maintained as the most Astros All-Stars until five were chosen for the 1994 contest.

Later July

Struggling through a mid-season slump, on July 22, Houston rallied for a 7–6 victory at Busch Memorial Stadium. In the top of the ninth inning, José Cruz singled home Julio González for the game-winning run batted in (RBI). Terry Puhl cranked a home run and Enos Cabell and Jeffrey Leonard collected three hits apiece to add to the momentum. Joe Sambito hurled two scoreless innings in relief to preserve the win over St. Louis. Just their second win over their previous 14 contests, Houston's ten-game division lead from two weeks earlier had shrunk to just four games.

August

On August 3, J. R. Richard turned in the second 15-strikeout outing of his career and first since his MLB debut on September 5, 1971. The Astros hosted Atlanta, and at the start of play, owned a -game lead in the NL West. In the top of the first, Jerry Royster struck out, then Richard induced a fly out by Gary Matthews, and finished off the frame with a whiff of Rowland Office.

On August 14, the switch-hitting pitcher Joaquín Andûjar slugged his first major league home run, from an offering by the Montreal Expos' notorious eccentric, Bill "Spaceman" Lee. Andujar had warned Lee against a fastball; however, Lee challenged him in the bottom of the second. Hence, Andûjar nailed it for a two-run, inside-the-park home run high off the center field wall, that stood up for an Astros 2–1 Astros victory. On the mound, Andûjar hurled a complete game four hitter, earning the win a game score of 76, yielding the only run of the game to Lee via fielder's choice RBI groundout.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/HOU/HOU197908140.shtml |title=Montreal Expos (1) vs Houston Astros (2) box score |work=Baseball-Reference.com

Richard hurled his sixth career two-hitter on August 27, leading a 3–0 defeat of the Expos. César Cedeño kicked off the scoring in the top of the third, doubling in Rafael Landestoy. Cabell plated two runs in the top of the sixth, scoring Craig Reynolds and Terry Puhl off Scott Sanderson. Richard's (14–12) effort garnered a game score of 89.{{cite web |url=https://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/MON/MON197908270.shtml |title=Houston Astros (3) vs Montreal Expos (0) box score |work=Baseball-Reference.com

Two weeks after lifting his first major league home run, on August 28, Andûjar connected for his second, off Steve Rogers, also against the Expos.

During the month of August, Richard completed all six contests in which he appeared, allowing just for earned runs for a 0.67 ERA in 54 innings. He went 5–1, whiffed 62, and surrendered 18 bases on balls.

September

J. R. Richard whiffed 15 batters on September 21, tying his career-high, last accomplished the previous August 3.

On September 26, the Braves' Phil Niekro doubled in two runs off his younger brother, Joe, to spark a 9–4 win over the Astros. The elder Niekro tallied 4 RBI for the game, while the win evened his record at 20–20, earning the distinction of posting the first record in the National League in 74 years of winning and losing 20 games each. Niekro's NL predecessor, Irving Young of the Boston Beaneaters was credited with a 20–21 record. The win tied also made the Niekro brothers the first pair in National League history to record at least 20 wins each.

J. R. Richard earned NL Pitcher of the Month honors for September. His second monthly award, he first won for July 1978, while becoming the first Astro to win two monthly honors. Richard was also the fourth Astro during the season to receive Pitcher of the Month Award to extend the club record. Over 7 September starts, Richard went 4–1, with 4 completed games, 2 shutouts, 1.24 earned run average (ERA), and recorded 69 strikeouts over 58 IP. Additionally, the league hit for .164 batting average against (BAA) while baserunners reached on 0.828 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP).

Performance overview

The Astros concluded the season with an performance, in second place in the NL West, and trailing Cincinnati by games. Their performance jumped by 15 wins and games in the standings. At the time, this represented each of the club's most wins, highest standing within the division, and fewest games away from the division title and hence playoff appearance. The 1979 squad supplanted the achievements of their 1972 counterpart (84 wins, 3rd place, games behind) for the franchise records. The 1979 club also maintained the upward trend of competitive momentum the following season, finally capturing both their first-ever division title and playoff berth, while recording 93 wins to break the franchise mark yet again.

Having drawn 1,900,312 fans, Houston saw attendance rise steadily over the fourth consecutive season since 1975. This was the second-highest figure in club history, trailing only the 1965 edition, which drew 2,151,470 during their first year at the Astrodome. The next year, fans returned to the 2-million threshold. Bill Virdon also cemented his place as the longest-tenured manager is club history.

The 1979 Astros achieved another distinction by remaining as the final National League franchise of the 20th century to hit more triples (52) than home runs (49). Houston's starting pitchers belted four of home runs—two each by Andújar and Richard.

Commencing with Forsch's early-season no-hitter, and All-Star nods for Niekro, Andújar, and Sambito, Astros pitching led the most successful-to-date season in club history, setting a number of franchise records along with unprecedented achievements. The starting rotation took turns claiming four National League (NL) Pitcher of the Month Awards, more than they had won in any year prior, starting in April (Forsch), May (Niekro), June (Andújar), and September (J. R. Richard). Richard and Niekro further led the league in a number of key individual categories.

The season after becoming the first right-hander in NL history to reach the 300-strikeout plateau, and simultaneously the first Astro lead to league in the category (303), J. R. Richard improved upon his 1978 strikeout total by whiffing 313 and winning his second title in a row. He also became the first to accumulate 300 whiffs in successive years since Sandy Koufax in 1965 and 1966. Richard complemented this unprecedented achievement by becoming the first Astros pitcher to lead the league in earned run average (2.71 ERA). Thus, Richard became the first in club history to lead the league in two-thirds of the pitching Triple Crown, and the Astros' first five-time team leader in strikeouts. This was also his fourth successive campaign with 18 or more wins, another club record.

Meanwhile, Joe Niekro set the franchise record in wins with 21, and became the club's first league leader. Richard, as the ERA and strikeout leader, along with Niekro, combined to lead the NL in all three Triple Crown categories. The 1979 season marked first time that all three individual Triple Crown categories were claimed by Astros pitching.

In 2019, another tandem of Astros hurlers swept the individual Triple Crown categories. Gerrit Cole led the American League (AL) in ERA (2.50) and strikeouts (326), while Justin Verlander was the AL leader in wins (21).

Niekro became the first Astro to win The Sporting News (TSN) NL Pitcher of the Year Award, while outfielder Jeffrey Leonard was recognized by TSN as the NL Rookie Player of the Year, the fourth overall in franchise history—preceded by second baseman Joe Morgan (1965), right-hander Tom Griffin (1969), and right fielder Greg Gross (1974).

Season standings

Record vs. opponents

Notable transactions

• April 27, 1979: The Astros traded a player to be named later to the Kansas City Royals for George Throop. The Astros completed the deal by sending Keith Drumright to the Royals on October 26.
• June 13, 1979: Bob Watson was traded by the Astros to the Boston Red Sox for Pete Ladd, a player to be named later, and cash. The Red Sox completed the deal by sending Bobby Sprowl to the Astros on June 19.

Draft picks

• June 5, 1979: 1979 Major League Baseball draft
  • John Mizerock was drafted by the Houston Astros in the 1st round (8th pick).
  • Bill Doran was drafted by the Astros in the 6th round.
  • Mark Ross was drafted by the Astros in the 7th round.
  • Lemmie Miller was drafted by the Astros in the 1st round (20th pick) of the secondary phase, but did not sign.

Roster

Game log

Regular season

|-style="background:#cfc;" | 1 || April 6 || || Braves || || || || || || || 1–0 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 2 || April 7 || || Braves || || || || || || || 2–0 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 3 || April 8 || || Braves || || || || || || || 3–0 || W3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 4 || April 9 || || Dodgers || || || || || || || 3–1 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 5 || April 10 || || Dodgers || || || || || || || 4–1 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 6 || April 11 || || Dodgers || || || || || || || 5–1 || W2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 7 || April 13 || || @ Giants || || || || || || || 5–2 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 8 || April 14 || || @ Giants || || || || || || || 5–3 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 9 (1) || April 15 || || @ Giants || || || || || || – || 6–3 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 10 (2) || April 15 || || @ Giants || || || || || || || 7–3 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 11 || April 16 || || @ Dodgers || || || || || || || 8–3 || W3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 12 || April 17 || || @ Dodgers || || || || || || || 8–4 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 13 || April 18 || || @ Dodgers || || || || || || || 9–4 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 14 || April 20 || 7:35p.m. CST || Pirates || W 5–4 (10) || Sambito (1–0) || Bibby (1–1) || – || 3:16 || 19,834 || 10–4 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 15 || April 21 || 7:35p.m. CST || Pirates || W 5–4 (10) || Andújar (2–0) || Tekulve (0–3) || – || 3:23 || 48,977 || 11–4 || W3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 16 || April 22 || 3:00p.m. CST || Pirates || W 3–2 || Andújar (3–0) || Candelaria (0–1) || Sambito (2) || 2:27 || 22,403 || 12–4 || W4 |-style="background:#bbb;" | — || April 24 || || @ Cubs || colspan=8 | Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: July 7) |-style="background:#fcc;" | 17 || April 25 || || @ Cubs || || || || || || || 12–5 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 18 || April 26 || || @ Cubs || || || || || || || 13–5 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 19 || April 27 || 6:35p.m. CST || @ Pirates || W 9–8 (11) || Riccelli (1–0) || Whitson (1–1) || – || 3:30 || 5,767 || 14–5 || W2 |-style="background:#bbb;" | — || April 28 || || @ Pirates || colspan=8 | Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: July 19) |-style="background:#fcc;" | 20 || April 29 || 12:05p.m. CDT || @ Pirates || L 5–10 || Kison (1–0) || Niekro (1–2) || Jackson (3) || 3:07 || 7,598 || 14–6 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 21 || April 30 || || @ Cardinals || || || || || || || 15–6 || W1 |- |-style="background:#fcc;" | 22 || May 1 || || @ Cardinals || || || || || || || 15–7 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 23 || May 2 || || @ Cardinals || || || || || || || 15–8 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 24 || May 3 || || @ Cardinals || || || || || || || 16–8 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 25 || May 4 || || @ Reds || L 5–6 (10) || || Riccelli (1–1) || – || 3:47 || 20,988 || 16–9 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 26 || May 5 || || @ Reds || L 2–6 || || Andújar (3–1) || || 2:13 || 25,044 || 16–10 || L2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 27 (1) || May 6 || || @ Reds || L 5–17 || || || || 2:48 || – || 16–11 || L3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 28 (2) || May 6 || || @ Reds || W 8–2 || || || || 3:00 || 33,618 || 17–11 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 29 || May 8 || || Cardinals || || || || || || || 17–12 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 30 || May 9 || || Cardinals || || || || || || || 18–12 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 31 || May 10 || || Cardinals || || || || || || || 18–13 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 32 || May 11 || || Cubs || || || || || || || 18–14 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 33 || May 12 (1) || || Cubs || || || || || || – || 19–14 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 34 || May 12 (2) || || Cubs || || || || || || || 19–15 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 35 || May 13 || || Cubs || || || || || || || 20–15 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 36 || May 15 || || Giants || || || || || || || 20–16 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 37 || May 16 || || Giants || || || || || || || 20–17 || L2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 38 || May 17 || || Giants || || || || || || || 20–18 || L3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 39 || May 18 || || Padres || || || || || || || 21–18 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 40 || May 19 || || Padres || || || || || || || 21–19 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 41 (1) || May 20 || || Padres || || || || || || – || 22–19 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 42 (2) || May 20 || || Padres || || || || || || || 23–19 || W2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 43 || May 21 || || @ Braves || || || || || || || 23–20 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 44 || May 22 || || @ Braves || || || || || || || 24–20 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 45 || May 23 || || @ Braves || || || || || || || 24–21 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 46 || May 25 || || @ Padres || || || || || || || 24–22 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 47 || May 26 || || @ Padres || || || || || || || 25–22 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 48 || May 27 || || @ Padres || || || || || || || 26–22 || W2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 49 || May 28 || || @ Padres || || || || || || || 26–23 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 50 || May 29 || || Reds || W 2–1 || || || || 2:09 || 17,458 || 27–23 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 51 || May 30 || || Reds || W 6–3 || Niekro (7–2) || || Sambito (4) || 2:32 || 21,757 || 28–23 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 52 || May 31 || || Reds || W 3–0 || || || || 2:07 || 25,453 || 29–23 || W3 |- |-style="background:#cfc;" | 53 || June 1 || || Expos || || || || || || || 30–23 || W4 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 54 || June 2 || || Expos || || || || || || || 31–23 || W5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 55 || June 3 || || Expos || || || || || || || 32–23 || W6 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 56 || June 4 || || Phillies || || || || || || || 33–23 || W7 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 57 || June 5 || || Phillies || || || || || || || 33–24 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 58 || June 6 || || Phillies || || || || || || || 34–24 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 59 || June 8 || || @ Mets || || || || || || || 35–24 || W2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 60 || June 9 || || @ Mets || || || || || || || 35–25 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 61 || June 10 || || @ Mets || || || || || || || 36–25 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 62 || June 11 || || @ Phillies || || || || || || || 36–26 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 63 || June 12 || || @ Phillies || || || || || || || 36–27 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 64 || June 13 || || @ Phillies || || || || || || || 37–27 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 65 || June 15 || || @ Expos || || || || || || || 38–27 || W2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 66 || June 16 || || @ Expos || || || || || || || 38–28 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 67 || June 17 || || @ Expos || || || || || || || 38–29 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 68 || June 18 || || Mets || || || || || || || 39–29 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 69 || June 19 || || Mets || || || || || || || 40–29 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 70 || June 20 || || Mets || || || || || || || 41–29 || W3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 71 || June 22 || || Padres || || || || || || || 42–29 || W4 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 72 || June 23 || || Padres || || || || || || || 43–29 || W5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 73 || June 24 || || Padres || || || || || || || 44-29 || W6 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 74 (1) || June 25 || || Reds || L 1–2 || || || || 2:31 || – || 44–30 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 75 (2) || June 25 || || Reds || W 4–0 || || || || 2:22 || 46,313 || 45–30 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 76 || June 26 || || Reds || W 6–5 || || || Sambito (7) || 2:32 || 37,114 || 46–30 || W2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 77 || June 27 || || @ Giants || || || || || || || 46–31 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 78 || June 28 || || @ Giants || || || || || || || 47–31 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 79 || June 29 || || @ Padres || || || || || || || 48–31 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 80 || June 30 || || @ Padres || || || || || || || 49–31 || W3 |- |-style="background:#cfc;" | 81 || July 1 || || @ Padres || || || || || || || 50–31 || W4 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 82 || July 3 || || @ Reds || W 3–2 || || || || 2:13 || 36,787 || 51–31 || W5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 83 || July 4 || || @ Reds || W 3–2 || Andújar (10–4) || || Sambito (9) || 2:24 || 25,713 || 52–31 || W6 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 84 || July 5 || || @ Reds || L 4–5 || || || || 2:48 || 28,249 || 52–32 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 85 || July 6 || || @ Cubs || || || || || || || 53–32 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 86 (1) || July 7 || || @ Cubs || || || || || || – || 53–33 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 87 (2) || July 7 || || @ Cubs || || || || || || || 53–34 || L2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 88 || July 8 || || @ Cubs || || || || || || || 53–35 || L3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 89 || July 10 || 7:30p.m. CDT || Pirates || L 3–4 || Bibby (4–2) || Andújar (10–5) || Tekulve (12) || 3:09 || 31,341 || 53–36 || L4 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 90 || July 11 || 7:35p.m. CDT || Pirates || L 1–5 || Kison (5–4) || Richard (7–9) || – || 2:10 || 25,330 || 53–37 || L5 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 91 || July 12 || 7:35p.m. CDT || Pirates || L 3–5 || Blyleven (7–3) || Niekro (13–4) || Tekulve (13) || 2:44 || 22,956 || 53–38 || L6 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 92 || July 13 || || Cardinals || || || || || || || 53–39 || L7 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 93 || July 14 || || Cardinals || || || || || || || 54–39 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 94 || July 15 || || Cardinals || || || || || || || 54–40 || L1 |- style="text-align:center; background:#bbcaff;" |-style="background:#fcc;" | 95 (1) || July 19 || 5:05p.m. CDT || @ Pirates || L 5–9 || Roberts (1–2) || Forsch (5–6) || – || 2:41 || – || 54–41 || L2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 96 (2) || July 19 || 8:16p.m. CDT || @ Pirates || L 2–4 || Kison (6–4) || Niekro (13–5) || Jackson (11) || 2:12 || 33,464 || 54–42 || L3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 97 || July 20 || 6:35p.m. CDT || @ Pirates || L 3–9 || Candelaria (9–7) || Richard (7–11) || – || 2:40 || 23,585 || 54–43 || L4 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 98 || July 21 || 1:15p.m. CDT || @ Pirates || L 5–6 || Romo (5–3) || Sambito (4–3) || Tekulve (14) || 3:00 || 19,570 || 54–44 || L5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 99 || July 22 || || @ Cardinals || || || || || || || 55–44 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 100 || July 23 || || @ Cardinals || || || || || || || 56–44 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 101 || July 24 || || Cubs || || || || || || || 57–44 || W3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 102 || July 25 || || Cubs || || || || || || || 58–44 || W4 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 103 || July 26 || || Dodgers || || || || || || || 58–45 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 104 || July 27 || || Dodgers || || || || || || || 58–46 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 105 || July 28 || || Dodgers || || || || || || || 59–46 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 106 || July 29 || || Dodgers || || || || || || || 60–46 || W2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 107 || July 30 || || Giants || || || || || || || 60–47 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 108 || July 31 || || Giants || || || || || || || 61–47 || W1 |- |-style="background:#cfc;" | 109 || August 1 || || Giants || || || || || || || 62–47 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 110 || August 3 || || Braves || || || || || || || 63–47 || W3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 111 (1) || August 4 || || Braves || || || || || || – || 64–47 || W4 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 112 (2) || August 4 || || Braves || || || || || || || 65–47 || W5 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 113 || August 5 || || Braves || || || || || || || 66–47 || W6 |- style="text-align:center; background:#fbb | 114 || August 7 || || @ Dodgers || || || || || || || 66–48 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 115 || August 8 || || @ Dodgers || || || || || || || 67–48 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 116 || August 9 || || @ Dodgers || || || || || || || 67–49 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 117 || August 10 || || @ Braves || || || || || || || 68–49 || W1 |-style="background:#bbb;" | — || August 11 || || @ Braves || colspan=8 | Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: September 24) |-style="background:#fcc;" | 118 || August 12 || || @ Braves || || || || || || || 68–50 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 119 || August 13 || || Expos || || || || || || || 69–50 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 120 || August 14 || || Expos || || || || || || || 70–50 || W2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 121 || August 15 || || Expos || || || || || || || 70–51 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 122 || August 17 || || Phillies || || || || || || || 70–52 || L2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 123 || August 18 || || Phillies || || || || || || || 70–53 || L3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 124 || August 19 || || Phillies || || || || || || || 70–54 || L4 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 125 || August 20 || || @ Mets || || || || || || || 71–54 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 126 || August 21 || || @ Mets || || || || || || || 71–55 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 127 || August 22 || || @ Mets || || || || || || || 72–55 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 128 || August 24 || || @ Phillies || || || || || || || 72–56 || L1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 129 || August 25 || || @ Phillies || || || || || || || 73–56 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 130 || August 26 || || @ Phillies || || || || || || || 74–56 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 131 || August 27 || || @ Expos || || || || || || || 75–56 || W3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 132 || August 28 || || @ Expos || || || || || || || 75–57 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 133 || August 29 || || @ Expos || || || || || || || 75–58 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 134 || August 31 || || Mets || || || || || || || 76–58 || W1 |- |-style="background:#cfc;" | 135 || September 1 || || Mets || || || || || || || 77–58 || W2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 136 || September 2 || || Mets || || || || || || || 77–59 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 137 || September 3 || || Dodgers || || || || || || || 77–60 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 138 || September 4 || || Dodgers || || || || || || || 78–60 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 139 || September 5 || || Padres || || || || || || || 79–60 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 140 || September 6 || || Padres || || || || || || || 80–60 || W3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 141 || September 7 || || Giants || || || || || || || 80–61 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 142 || September 8 || || Giants || || || || || || || 80–62 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 143 || September 9 || || Giants || || || || || || || 81–62 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 144 || September 11 || || @ Reds || L 8–9 || || Sambito (7–6) || – || 3:14 || 40,574 || 81–63 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 145 || September 12 || || @ Reds || L 4–7 || || Niekro (18–10) || || 3:00 || 42,035 || 81–64 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 146 || September 14 || || @ Giants || || || || || || || 82–64 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 147 || September 15 || || @ Giants || || || || || || || 82–65 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 148 || September 16 || || @ Giants || || || || || || || 82–66 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 149 || September 17 || || @ Padres || || || || || || || 83–66 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 150 || September 18 || || @ Padres || || || || || || || 83–67 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 151 || September 19 || || Braves || || || || || || || 83–68 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 152 || September 20 || || Braves || || || || || || || 84–68 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 153 || September 21 || || Reds || W 3–2 (13) || Sambito (8–6) || || – || 3:30 || 44,975 || 85–68 || W2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 154 || September 22 || || Reds || W 4–1 || Niekro (20–10) || || Sambito (20) || 2:50 || 46,037 || 86–68 || W3 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 155 || September 23 || || Reds || L 1–7 || || || – || 2:47 || 42,067 || 86–69 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 156 (1) || September 24 || || @ Braves || || || || || || – || 86–70 || L2 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 157 (2) || September 24 || || @ Braves || || || || || || || 86–71 || L3 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 158 || September 25 || || @ Braves || || || || || || || 87–71 || W1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 159 || September 26 || || @ Braves || || || || || || || 87–72 || L1 |-style="background:#fcc;" | 160 || September 28 || || @ Dodgers || || || || || || || 87–73 || L2 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 161 || September 29 || || @ Dodgers || || || || || || || 88–73 || W1 |-style="background:#cfc;" | 162 || September 30 || || @ Dodgers || || || || || || || 89–73 || W2 |- |- style="text-align:center;" | Legend: = Win = Loss = Postponement Bold = Astros team member

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pitching

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Awards and achievements

Awards

• Associated Press (AP) All-Star
  • Pitcher—Joe Niekro
  • Pitcher—J. R. Richard
• Baseball Digest Rookie All-Star—Left fielder: Jeffrey Leonard
• Houston Astros Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award: Joe Niekro
• MLB All-Star Game:
  • Craig Reynolds—Reserve infielder
  • Joe Niekro—Reserve pitcher
  • Joaquín Andújar—Reserve pitcher
  • Joe Sambito—Reserve pitcher
• National League (NL) Pitcher of the Month:
  • April: Ken Forsch
  • May: Joe Niekro
  • June: Joaquín Andújar
  • September: J. R. Richard
• NL Player of the Week:
  • April 8—Ken Forsch
  • September 9—Rafael Landestoy
• The Sporting News NL All-Star—Pitcher: Joe Niekro
• The Sporting News NL Pitcher of the Year: Joe Niekro
• The Sporting News NL Rookie Player of the Year: Jeffrey Leonard
• Topps All-Star Rookie Team—Outfielder: Jeffrey Leonard
• United Press International (UPI) All-Star—Pitcher: J. R. Richard

Pitching achievements

• No-hit game: Ken Forsch—April 7, 1979 (Houston Astros 6, Atlanta Braves 0)

League leaders

;NL batting leaders

• Sacrifice flies: César Cedeño (9)
• Sacrifice hits: Craig Reynolds: (34—led MLB)

;NL pitching leaders

• Bases on balls per nine innings pitched (BB/9): Ken Forsch (1.8)
• Earned run average (ERA): J. R. Richard (2.71—led MLB)
• Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP): J. R. Richard (2.21—led MLB)
• Hits per nine innings pitched (H/9): J. R. Richard (6.8—led MLB)
• Home runs per nine innings (HR/9): Joaquín Andújar (0.3)
• Shutouts: Joe Niekro (5—led MLB)
• Strikeouts per nine innings pitched (K/9): J. R. Richard (9.6—led MLB)
• Strikeout-to-walk ratio (K/BB): J. R. Richard (3.19—led MLB)
• Strikeouts (SO or K): J. R. Richard (313—led MLB)
• Strikeouts per nine innings pitched (K/9): J. R. Richard (9.6—led MLB)
• Walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP): Ken Forsch (1.069—led MLB)
• Wins: Joe Niekro (21)
• Wild pitches: Joe Niekro & J. R. Richard (19—tied, led MLB)

Minor league system

LEAGUE CHAMPIONS: GCL Astros

Notes

References

References

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