1966 – A dropped third strike keys a 5-4 win over the Braves. Phil Niekro has Rusty Staub out on strikes but he is safe at first after Gene Oliver lets the pitch roll away in the ninth inning. John Bateman eventually singles Staub home with the game-winner. Lee Maye and Jim Gentile also homer for Houston.
1966 – Dave Giusti surrenders eight hits but walks away with a 2-0 shutout against the Giants. Giusti delivers three hits of his own but solo homers by Joe Morgan and Jim Gentile provide all the scoring.
1966 – A tornado rips through the Astros’ spring training home in Cocoa, FL. Three light towers are toppled, one crashing into the grandstand. The scoreboard has vanished. The batting cages are ruined. That day’s exhibition game with Kansas City is cancelled.
1966 – Players with the Astros and Dodgers are flown from Florida to Houston to test the new artificial surface. Balls bounce too high in the infield and engineers add more sand under the rug to make it behave more like natural grass.
The Astros deal outfielder Johnny Weekly and cash to the Mets for pitcher Gary Kroll. The righthander would see just ten games with Houston.
1965 – Astros deal two pitchers and cash to the Chicago White Sox for catcher Bill Heath and outfielder Dave Nicholson. Heath would hit .301 with eight RBIs as a backup. Nicholson would bat .246 with ten homers in part-time duty.
1965 – Joe Morgan receives four votes for National League Rookie of the Year, finishing a distant second to the Dodgers’ Jim Lefebvre. Morgan bats .271 with 14 homers and 20 steals in his first full season in Houston.
1965 – Joe Morgan receives the first vote of any Houston player for the National League MVP Award. But it is just one vote. Willie Mays of San Francisco gets the award over Dodgers Sandy Koufax and Maury Wills.
1965 – Astros deal catcher Jerry Grote to the New York Mets for pitcher Tom Parsons and cash. Although batting just .182 with the Colt .45s, the San Antonio native goes on to several All-Star seasons in New York while Parsons never catches on in Houston.
1965 – A liner by pitcher Robin Roberts falls between outfielders Curt Flood and Mike Shannon. The two collide and infielder Dal Maxvill has to run down the ball. Roberts gets a two-run double out of it which keys a 4-2 triumph over St. Louis. It’s the 281st career win for the future Hall-of-Famer. The Astros would finish the year with a 65-97 record and draw over two million fans in their first year at the Dome.
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