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1997 Houston Astros Season
The 1997 Houston Astros season was the 36th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise in Houston, Texas. In their fourth season in the National League Central and first under former player/broadcaster-turned manager Larry Dierker, the Astros finished in first place, giving them their first playoff berth in eleven years. They clinched the division title eleven years to the day of their last title on September 25. Offseason December 2, 1996: Pat Listach signed as a free agent with the Houston Astros.Pat Listach at ''Baseball-Reference'' Regular season The 1,000 hit of Jeff Bagwell's career was a home run on May 20 against |
National League Central
The National League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was created in 1994, by moving two teams from the National League West (the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros) and three teams from the National League East (the Chicago Cubs, the Pittsburgh Pirates, and the St. Louis Cardinals). When the division was created in 1994, the Pirates were originally supposed to stay in the East while the Atlanta Braves were to be moved to the Central from the West. However, the Braves, wanting to form a natural rivalry with the expansion Florida Marlins, requested to remain in the East. Despite the Marlins offering to go to the Central, the Pirates instead gave up their spot in the East to the Braves. Since then, the Pirates have tried several times unsuccessfully to be placed back in the East. In 1998, the NL Central became the largest division in Major League Baseball when the Milwaukee Brewers were moved in from the American League Central. In 2013, the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pat Listach
Patrick Alan Listach (born September 12, 1967) is the former Manager of the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League and a former Major League Baseball shortstop, minor league manager, and major league third base coach. Amateur career A native of Natchitoches, Louisiana, Listach is the grandson of fellow major leaguer Nora Listach. He attended Natchitoches High School and went on to McLennan Community College in Waco, Texas, where he played college baseball for the Highlanders. Listach transferred to Arizona State University, continuing his collegiate career with the Arizona State Sun Devils. Professional career Listach was drafted in the fifth round of the 1988 Major League Baseball Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Listach's best professional season was in , his rookie year. After being called up from the minor leagues by the Brewers in April, Listach became a vital member of a team that won 92 games and contended for the American League playoffs. Listach became th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lance Berkman
William Lance Berkman (born February 10, 1976), nicknamed "Fat Elvis" and "Big Puma", is an American baseball coach and former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman, who is the current head baseball coach of the Houston Christian Huskies. He played 15 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. Berkman is a six-time MLB All-Star and won a World Series championship and the National League Comeback Player of the Year Award with the Cardinals in 2011. He stands , and weighs . Berkman spent various seasons of his career as a regular at all three outfield positions. A standout baseball player at Canyon High School, Berkman attended Rice University, where he played college baseball for the Owls. The Astros selected Berkman in the first round of that year's amateur draft, and he debuted in the major leagues in 1999. He joined the Astros' vaunted " Killer B's" lineup that included Jeff Bagwell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1997 Major League Baseball Draft
The 1997 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1997. A total of 1607 players were drafted over the course of 92 rounds. First round selections Supplemental first round selections Compensation Picks Other notable players * Randy Wolf, 2nd round, 54th overall by the Philadelphia Phillies * Scott Linebrink, 2nd round, 56th overall by the San Francisco Giants * Tyler Walker, 2nd round, 58th overall by the New York Mets * Jeff Weaver, 2nd round, 62nd overall by the Chicago White Sox, but did not sign * Aaron Cook, 2nd round, 70th overall by the Colorado Rockies * Rick Ankiel, 2nd round, 72nd overall by the St. Louis Cardinals *Chase Utley, 2nd round, 76th overall by the Los Angeles Dodgers, but did not sign * Jeremy Affeldt, 3rd round, 91st overall by the Kansas City Royals * John Grabow, 3rd round, 92nd overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates * Scott Downs, 3rd round, 94th overa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shane Reynolds
Richard Shane Reynolds (born March 26, 1968) is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played from 1992 through 2004 for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves and Arizona Diamondbacks. Listed at 6' 3", 210 lb., Reynolds batted and threw right-handed. He was born in Bastrop, Louisiana. College career Reynolds attended Ouachita Christian High School in Monroe, Louisiana, where he earned three All-State selections. He later attended the Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama and University of Texas at Austin, where he was a two-time Southwest Conference first team selection, even though his high school coach often made the comment that Reynolds was a far better player at basketball than baseball. Major League career The Astros selected Reynolds in the 3rd round of the 1989 MLB Draft. Reynolds made his debut on July 20, 1992, as the starting pitcher against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Houston. He went innings while allowing six runs on eight hits as the Astros lost ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luis Gonzalez (outfielder, Born 1967)
Luis Emilio Gonzalez (born September 3, 1967), nicknamed "Gonzo", is an American former baseball outfielder who played 19 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for seven teams. Gonzalez spent his best years with the Arizona Diamondbacks and was one of the most popular players in the organization's history. His game-winning hit in Game 7 of the 2001 World Series against New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera clinched the Diamondbacks' first and only World Series championship to date. Gonzalez was a five-time All-Star and won a Silver Slugger Award in 2001. In addition to good power (354 career home runs), Gonzalez was known as an exceptional gap hitter. His 596 career doubles currently rank 19th on the all-time MLB list. After retiring from baseball in 2008, Gonzalez joined the Diamondbacks' front office in 2009 as a special assistant to the president. The following year, the team retired his uniform number #20, making him the first player so honored by the Diamondbacks. Ear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Craig Biggio
Craig Alan Biggio (; born December 14, 1965) is an American former second baseman, outfielder and catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career from 1988 through 2007 for the Houston Astros. A seven-time National League (NL) All-Star often regarded as the greatest all-around player in Astros history, he is the only player ever to be named an All-Star and to be awarded Silver Slugger Award at both catcher and second base. With longtime teammates Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman, he formed the core of the " Killer B's" who led Houston to six playoff appearances from 1997 to 2005, culminating in the franchise's first World Series appearance in 2005. At the end of his career, he ranked sixth in NL history in games played (2,850), fifth in at bats (10,876), 21st in hits (3,060), and seventh in runs scored (1,844). His 668 career doubles ranked sixth in major league history, and are the second-most ever by a right-handed hitter; his 56 doubles in 1999 were the most in t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sean Berry
Sean Robert Berry (born March 22, 1966) is an American former professional baseball third baseman and current coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for several teams from to . Early life Berry was born in Santa Monica, California, and attended West High School in Torrance, California. He was drafted out of high school by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round of the June 1984 draft, but he chose to attend UCLA. He was drafted again in 1986, this time in the first round (ninth overall) by the Kansas City Royals. Career Berry played in the minor leagues until 1990, when he was promoted to the Royals after hitting .292 with 14 home runs and 77 runs batted in for the Double-A Memphis Chicks. He split time between the major leagues and minor leagues until 1992, when he was sent to the Montreal Expos as part of a multiplayer trade. Berry played between 103 and 122 games per year for the Expos between 1993 and 1995, hitting double-digit home runs each season and b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Derek Bell (baseball)
Derek Nathaniel Bell (born December 11, 1968) is an American former Major League Baseball player. Primarily a right fielder and center fielder, Bell batted from the right side and threw with his right hand. He is 6'2" tall, and during his playing career, he weighed 215 pounds. Amateur and minor league career Bell is one of only eleven players to play in both the Little League World Series and the Major League World Series. In 1980 and 1981 Bell played for Belmont Heights Little League in Tampa, Florida, winning the US championship and losing to Taiwan in the world championship game both years. (Bell is also the only player to appear in the LLWS ''twice'' and later in the big-league World Series.) When he reached C. Leon King High School in Tampa, Bell attracted the attention of the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto selected him in the second round of the 1987 June draft, with the 49th overall pick. Bell signed with Toronto, and made his debut that same year in the New York–Penn Le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brad Ausmus
Bradley David Ausmus (; born April 14, 1969) is an American former professional baseball manager and catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). In his 18-year MLB playing career, Ausmus played for the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He was also the manager of the Tigers and Los Angeles Angels, and of the Israel national baseball team. A 1987 draft pick of the New York Yankees, he chose to alternate between attending Dartmouth College and playing minor league baseball. Ausmus then had an 18-year major league playing career with the San Diego Padres, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, and Los Angeles Dodgers. During his playing days he was an All Star in 1999, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner (2001, '02, and '06), and won the 2007 Darryl Kile Award "for integrity and courage". [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bobby Abreu
Bob Kelly Abreu (; ; born March 11, 1974), nicknamed "El Comedulce" and also "La Leche", is a Venezuelan former professional baseball outfielder, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets. Abreu is a two-time All-Star, and has won a Rawlings Gold Glove Award and a Silver Slugger Award. He has been a single-season league leader in games played (twice), doubles, and triples. He had two seasons in which he collected thirty home runs and thirty stolen bases, making him one of thirteen players to have achieved the 30–30 club twice in a career. Through 2014, Abreu led active ballplayers in doubles (565), walks (1,456), and outfield assists (136), was fifth in runs scored (1,441) and stolen bases (400), seventh in extra-base hits (911) and on-base percentage (.396), and tenth in runs batted in (1,363). He is also one of only seven play ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the United States. The publication has won more than 40 Pulitzer Prizes. It is owned by Patrick Soon-Shiong and published by the Times Mirror Company. The newspaper’s coverage emphasizes California and especially Southern California stories. In the 19th century, the paper developed a reputation for civic boosterism and opposition to labor unions, the latter of which led to the bombing of its headquarters in 1910. The paper's profile grew substantially in the 1960s under publisher Otis Chandler, who adopted a more national focus. In recent decades the paper's readership has declined, and it has been beset by a series of ownership changes, staff reductions, and other controversies. In January 2018, the paper's staff voted to unionize a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
