1989 – Houston radio station KKBQ announces that the World Series is coming to the Astrodome after an earthquake rattles California, sending the Fall Classic into turmoil. General Manager Bill Wood blasts the false report as “sick humor”.
1989 – Mike Scott becomes the fourth Astro to reach 20 wins during an 11-3 triumph in Los Angeles. Batterymate Craig Biggio makes it easy for Scott, whacking two home runs and driving in six. Rafael Ramirez adds four hits.
1989 – Rafael Ramirez has a career day with a grand slam and a club-record seven RBIs but the Astros waste it and a 9-0 lead to lose to the Cubs, 10-9, in ten innings. Dwight Smith singles off Dave Smith for the game-winner. Houston falls five games behind San Francisco in the NL West race.
1989 – After Ryne Sandberg ties the game in the ninth with his second solo homer, Kevin Bass responds with his second long ball of the night, a grand slam off Mitch Williams for an 8-4 triumph over the Cubs. Danny Darwin gets the win after blowing the save.
1989 – Cincinnati explodes for 14 runs in the first inning en route to an 18-2 massacre of the Astros. The Reds set three major league records and tie two more. Jim Clancy and Bob Forsch each allow seven tallies in the opening frame. Forsch surrenders a club-record 18 hits in his seven innings, including nine consecutive hits in the first inning. Houston hurlers surrender a team-record 26 hits.
The Reds set a major league record for the most hits in the first inning of a game with 16 as they score 14 runs at Riverfront Stadium off woeful Astro pitching. The half of an inning lasts 38 minutes, with the Reds eventually winning the game, 18-2.
1989 – Craig Biggio becomes the first Houston catcher to bat leadoff in over twenty years and it seems to work out. He homers and singles in an 8-1 victory at San Francisco. Another blast is the first big league bomb for Eric Anthony. Glenn Davis and Ken Caminiti also go yard. Mark Portugal hurls a three-hit complete game, just his second win as an Astro.
1989 – The Astros end a 22-inning marathon with the Dodgers, 5-4, when Rafael Ramirez slaps the game-winner off emergency pitcher Jeff Hamilton to score Bill Doran. The hit glances off the glove of emergency first baseman Fernando Valenzuela, ending seven hours and fourteen minutes of action. Houston and Los Angeles go extras again that afternoon. The Astros win, 7-6 in 13 innings, with emergency reliever Mike Scott’s game-ending sacrifice fly scoring Ramirez.
1989 – Glenn Davis drills a two-run, two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie Pittsburgh. In the 12th, he reaches on an error by Bobby Bonilla and Rafael Ramirez drives him home for the 5-4 triumph.
1989 – Mike Scott pitches seven innings of no-hit ball before Glenn Wilson singles to break it up. It is Pittsburgh’s only hit in a 3-0 Houston triumph, the third one-hitter of Scott’s career. Houston had tried to trade for Wilson earlier in the month but reached a snag when Alan Ashby, whom the Pirates wanted, vetoed the deal. Ashby is released soon afterwards.
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