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1978 Houston Astros season

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1978 Houston Astros
LeagueNational League
DivisionWest
BallparkAstrodome
CityHouston, Texas
Record74–88 (.457)
Divisional place5th
OwnersGeneral Electric, Ford Motor Company
General managersTal Smith
ManagersBill Virdon
TelevisionKPRC-TV
RadioKPRC (AM)
(Gene Elston, Dewayne Staats)
← 1977 Seasons 1979 →

The 1978 Houston Astros season was the 17th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 14th as the Astros, 17th in the National League (NL), tenth in the NL West division, and 14th at The Astrodome. The Astros entered the season having completed an 81–81 record for third place and 17 games behind the division-champion and NL pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.

At Riverfront Stadium on April 6, J. R. Richard made his third of five consecutive Opening Day starts for Houston, who were defeated by the Cincinnati Reds, 11–9. The Astros' first round pick in the amateur draft was pitcher Rod Boxberger at 11th overall; in the second round, they chose outfielder Danny Heep.

Center fielder Terry Puhl was Astros' representative at the MLB All-Star Game and played for the National League, his lone career selection. Third baseman Eddie Mathews, who briefly played for Houston in 1967, became the second former Astro to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Astros concluded the season fifth in the NL West with a record of 74–88, 21 games behind Los Angeles, who repeated as both division champions and NL pennant winners. J. R. Richard became the first right-handed pitcher in National League history to reach 300 strikeouts, as well as the first Houston Astros pitcher to lead the league, with 303.

Offseason

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Regular season

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Summary

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April

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Opening Day starting lineup[4][5]
21 Terry Puhl LF
23 Enos Cabell 3B
28 César Cedeño CF
25 José Cruz RF
27 Bob Watson 1B
13 Joe Ferguson  C
18 Art Howe 2B
14 Roger Metzger SS
50 J. R. Richard  P
Venue: Riverfront Stadium • CIN 11, HOU 9

May

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On May 20, José Cruz got the Astros off to fast start with a two-run first-inning bomb as they lifted off on the Atlanta Braves, 13–0.[6] He never looked back, capturing both career highs of four hits and six runs batted in (RBI),[7] and added a stolen base.[6] Denny Walling connected for his first major league home run,[8] and added three RBI. Enos Cabell collected three hits as Astros hitters struck out just once. In his second straight shutout,[8] J. R. Richard was brilliant, striking out 8 to yield a game score of 80, while, at the plate, he added a hit, run scored and an RBI.[6]

Three wild pitches in one inning on May 30 during an overwise gem of an outing by J. R. Richard set up the lone run of the contest to score as the San Francisco Giants prevailed, 1–0.[9]

June

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In spite of setting a new record as a team with 7 errors on June 12, the Astros' Jesús Alou hit a leadoff double to start a rally in the top of the eighth inning. The Astros followed with six runs scored that led to 6–5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.[10]

September

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Richard surpassed Tom Seaver's record of 289 strikeouts on September 19, by whiffing the Braves' Bob Horner in the seventh inning. The strikeout record was for right-handers in the National League.

On September 28, J. R. Richard recorded his 300th strikeout of the season in a 4–3 win over the Braves, tallying six whiffs to get to 303. Richard became the first right-handed pitcher in National League history to achieve this milestone in one season, He also homered in the third inning off Larry McWilliams. The Astros rallied to win in the seventh inning with a double by Reggie Baldwin and a single by Rafael Landestoy.[11]

Performance overview

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Enos Cabell became the first Astro to play the full 162-game schedule, while establishing other single-season franchise records. including hits (195) and at bats (660). His hits record stood until 1998 when Craig Biggio collected 210.[12] Hence, Cabell was named the Houston Astros' team Most Valuable Player (MVP).[13]

For the second consecutive season, Richard led the NL in hits per nine innings (6.278 H/9), the third time by an Astros pitcher.[14]

Richard's 56 wins also led NL right-handers over the previous three seasons.

Season standings

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NL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Los Angeles Dodgers 95 67 .586 — 54‍–‍27 41‍–‍40
Cincinnati Reds 92 69 .571 2½ 49‍–‍31 43‍–‍38
San Francisco Giants 89 73 .549 6 50‍–‍31 39‍–‍42
San Diego Padres 84 78 .519 11 50‍–‍31 34‍–‍47
Houston Astros 74 88 .457 21 50‍–‍31 24‍–‍57
Atlanta Braves 69 93 .426 26 39‍–‍42 30‍–‍51

Record vs. opponents

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1978 National League record

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]
Team ATL CHC CIN HOU LAD MON NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL
Atlanta — 5–7 6–12 8–10 5–13 5–7 6–6 8–4 2–10 8–10 11–7 5–7
Chicago 7–5 — 7–5 6–6 4–8 7–11 11–7 4–14 7–11 7–5 4–8 15–3
Cincinnati 12–6 5–7 — 11–7 9–9 8–4 7–5 7–5 4–7 9–9 12–6 8–4
Houston 10–8 6–6 7–11 — 7–11 6–6 7–5 6–6 4–8 8–10 6–12 7–5
Los Angeles 13–5 8–4 9–9 11–7 — 8–4 7–5 7–5 7–5 9–9 11–7 5–7
Montreal 7–5 11–7 4–8 6–6 4–8 — 8–10 9–9 7–11 6–6 5–7 9–9
New York 6–6 7–11 5–7 5–7 5–7 10–8 — 6–12 7–11 5–7 3–9 7–11
Philadelphia 4-8 14–4 5–7 6–6 5–7 9–9 12–6 — 11–7 8–4 6–6 10–8
Pittsburgh 10–2 11–7 7–4 8–4 5–7 11–7 11–7 7–11 — 5–7 4–8 9–9
San Diego 10–8 5–7 9–9 10–8 9–9 6–6 7–5 4–8 7–5 — 8–10 9–3
San Francisco 7–11 8–4 6–12 12–6 7–11 7–5 9–3 6–6 8–4 10–8 — 9–3
St. Louis 7–5 3–15 4–8 5–7 7–5 9–9 11–7 8–10 9–9 3–9 3–9 —


Notable transactions

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Roster

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1978 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Game log

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Regular season

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Legend
  Astros win
  Astros loss
  Postponement
  Eliminated from playoff race
Bold Astros team member
1978 regular season game log: 74–88 (Home: 46–35; Away: 35–46)[20]
April: 10–12 (Home: 7–5; Away: 3–7)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
1 April 6 @ Reds
2 April 7 @ Reds
3 April 8 @ Reds
4 April 9 @ Reds
5 April 10 Dodgers
6 April 11 Dodgers
7 April 12 Dodgers
8 April 14 Reds
9 April 15 Reds
10 April 16 Reds
13 April 20 @ Dodgers
14 April 21 @ Dodgers
15 April 22 @ Dodgers
16 April 23 @ Dodgers
May: 10–13 (Home: 7–6; Away: 3–7)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
June: 13–14 (Home: 9–6; Away: 4–8)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
— June 7 @ Pirates Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: August 17)
— June 8 @ Pirates Postponed (Rain) (Makeup date: August 20)
55 June 12 Pirates
56 June 13 Pirates
57 June 14 Pirates
61 June 20 @ Dodgers
62 June 21 @ Dodgers
63 June 22 @ Dodgers
68 June 26 Reds
69 June 27 Reds
70 June 28 Reds
71 June 29 Reds
July: 15–17 (Home: 11–5; Away: 4–12)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
76 July 3 @ Reds
77 July 4 @ Reds
78 July 5 @ Reds
79 July 7 Dodgers
80 (1) July 8 Dodgers
81 (2) July 8 Dodgers
82 July 9 Dodgers
— July 11 7:40 p.m. CDT 49th All-Star Game in San Diego, CA
August: 14–14 (Home: 9–4; Away: 5–10)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
119 (1) August 17 @ Pirates
120 (2) August 17 @ Pirates
121 August 18 @ Pirates
122 August 19 @ Pirates
123 (1) August 20 @ Pirates
124 (2) August 20 @ Pirates
128 August 25 Pirates
129 August 26 Pirates
130 August 27 Pirates
September: 11–18 (Home: 6–5; Away: 5–13)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak
137 September 4 Reds
138 September 5 Reds
139 September 7 Dodgers
1406 September 8 Dodgers
143 September 11 @ Reds
144 September 12 @ Reds
145 September 13 @ Dodgers
146 September 14 @ Dodgers
October: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Away: 0–0)
# Date Time (CT) Opponent Score Win Loss Save Time of Game Attendance Record Box/
Streak

Detailed records

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Player stats

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Batting

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Starters by position

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

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
C Joe Ferguson 51 150 31 .207 7 22
1B Bob Watson 139 461 133 .289 14 79
2B Art Howe 119 420 123 .293 7 55
SS Rafael Landestoy 59 218 58 .266 0 9
3B Enos Cabell 162 660 195 .295 7 71
LF Denny Walling 120 247 62 .251 3 36
CF Terry Puhl 149 585 169 .289 3 35
RF José Cruz 153 565 178 .315 10 83

Other batters

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

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Julio González 78 223 52 .233 1 16
César Cedeño 50 192 54 .281 7 23
Dave Bergman 104 186 43 .231 0 12
Bruce Bochy 54 154 41 .266 3 15
Luis Pujols 56 153 20 .131 1 11
Wilbur Howard 84 148 34 .230 1 13
Jimmy Sexton 88 141 29 .206 2 6
Jesús Alou 77 139 45 .312 2 19
Roger Metzger 45 123 27 .220 0 6
Mike Fischlin 44 86 10 .116 0 0
Reggie Baldwin 38 67 17 .254 1 11
Keith Drumright 17 55 9 .164 0 2
Ed Herrmann 16 36 4 .111 0 0
Jeffrey Leonard 8 26 10 .385 0 4
Joe Cannon 8 18 4 .222 0 1
Jim Obradovich 10 17 3 .176 0 2

Pitching

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= Indicates league leader

Starting pitchers

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

Player G IP W L ERA SO
J. R. Richard 36 275.0 18 11 3.11 303
Mark Lemongello 33 210.1 9 14 3.94 77
Joe Niekro 35 202.2 14 14 3.86 97
Vern Ruhle 13 68.0 3 3 2.12 27

Other pitchers

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

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Tom Dixon 30 140.0 7 11 3.99 66
Joaquín Andújar 35 110.2 5 7 3.42 55
Floyd Bannister 28 110.1 3 9 4.81 94
Dan Warthen 5 10.2 0 1 4.22 2

Relief pitchers

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

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Joe Sambito 62 4 9 11 3.07 96
Ken Forsch 52 10 6 7 2.70 71
Rick Williams 17 1 2 0 4.67 17
Bo McLaughlin 12 0 1 2 5.01 10
Gene Pentz 10 0 0 0 6.00 8
Oscar Zamora 10 0 0 0 7.20 6
Frank Riccelli 2 0 0 0 0.00 2

Awards and achievements

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Career honors
Astros elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Individual Pos. Colt .45s / Astros career Induction
No. Yr. Gm. St. Fin.
Eddie Mathews 3B 11 1 101 1967 1967 1978 Plaque
See also: Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame • Ref:[21]
Annual awards
Pitching achievements
300 strikeout club
Player K W–L ERA K/9
J. R. Richard 303 18–11 3.11 9.9
Batting leaders[25]
Pitching leaders[26][27]

See also

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Minor league system

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See also: Minor League Baseball
Level Team League Manager
AAA Charleston Charlies International League Jim Beauchamp
AA Columbus Astros Southern League Jimmy Johnson
A Daytona Beach Astros Florida State League Leo Posada and Chuck Sprinkle
Rookie GCL Astros Gulf Coast League Julio Linares

References

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  1. ^ "Keith Drumright stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  2. ^ Oscar Zamora at Baseball Reference
  3. ^ Jesús Alou at Baseball Reference
  4. ^ "Houston Astros (9) vs Cincinnati Reds (11) box score". Baseball Almanac. April 6, 1978. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  5. ^ "1978 Houston Astros uniform numbers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c "Atlanta Braves (0) vs Houston Astros (13) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. May 20, 1978. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  7. ^ "Top performances for José Cruz". Retrosheet. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Hulsey, Bob. "This date in Astros history". Astros Daily. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  9. ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (May 30, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 30". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  10. ^ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 12, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 12". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  11. ^ "J. R. Richard becomes the first righthander in National league history to reach 300 strikeouts during a 4–3 victory over Atlanta". The Day in Baseball. September 28, 1978. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  12. ^ "Astros history – Timeline". MLB.com. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  13. ^ a b McTaggart, Brian (December 21, 2009). "Bourn highlights Astros' awards season". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  14. ^ "Yearly league leaders and records for hits per 9 IP". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  15. ^ Bob Coluccio at Baseball Reference
  16. ^ Danny Heep at Baseball Reference
  17. ^ Frank Riccelli at Baseball Reference
  18. ^ Dan Larson at Baseball Reference
  19. ^ Gene Pentz at Baseball Reference
  20. ^ "1978 Houston Astros Schedule & Results". Baseball Reference. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  21. ^ "Houston Astros Hall of Fame register". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  22. ^ "1978 All-Star Game box score". Baseball-Reference.com. July 11, 1978. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  23. ^ "Major League Baseball Pitchers of the Month". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  24. ^ "MLB Players of the Week Awards". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  25. ^ "1978 National League batting leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  26. ^ "1978 National League pitching leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  27. ^ "1978 Major League pitching leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
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