1988 – Glenn Davis drives in five, including three on his fifth home run of the young season, to slam the Reds, 9-3. It makes for an unhappy 47th birthday for Cincinnati skipper Pete Rose.
1986 – Mike Scott outduels Dwight Gooden for a 1-0 victory at the Astrodome in Game One of the N.L.C.S. Scott fans 14 Mets on his way to a complete game shutout. Glenn Davis supplies all the offense with a second-inning home run . New York complains about Scott scuffing the ball but the umpires find nothing wrong. The next day, the Mets even the series with a 5-1 decision as Bob Ojeda outduels Nolan Ryan.
1986 – Tying the National League record for stolen bases in one game, San Diego Padres outfielder Tony Gwynn swipes five bases as the Houston Astros beat San Diego 10 – 6. During his 20-year career, the .338 lifetime hitter will only average 16 stolen bases per season.
At the Houston Astrodome, the American League wins the 1986 All-Star Game, 3 – 2, for its second triumph in the last 15 years. AL starter Roger Clemens pitches three perfect innings to win the game’s MVP Award. Fernando Valenzuela pitches two innings for the National League striking out his first five batters, including his fellow countryman, Teddy Higuera; it will be Higuera’s only at-bat in the major leagues.
In a 3 – 1 loss to the Mets, Houston Astros shortstop Dickie Thon is hit in the face by a Mike Torrez pitch that breaks the orbital bone around his eye. Thon will be operated on April 11th, but will miss the rest of the season. When he returns, the All-Star SS will be plagued with blurred vision and be relegated to a back-up role for some time.
1983 – For nearly twenty years, engineers had debated how well the Astrodome would hold up in a hurricane. With 95-mph winds, Hurricane Alicia passes through Houston and the Dome suffers hardly a scratch. The Astros, on the road in St. Louis, lose as many worry about their families and property back home.
Joe Torre’s Braves set a National League record when they win their 11th straight game to start the season, beating Houston at the Astrodome, 6-5. The eventual NL West Division champs, who will finish the campaign with an 89-73 record, will extend the mark to 13-0 when they add two more victories against Cincinnati at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium.
Nolan Ryan becomes the first pitcher to throw five no-hitters when the Astros defeat the Dodgers at the Astrodome, 5-0. The Ryan Express, who will finish his 27-year major league career with a record seven no-hitters, previously has thrown hitless gems against the Royals (1973), Tigers (1973), Twins (1974), and Orioles (1975).
1981 – Don Sutton twirls a five-hit shutout to blank St. Louis, 3-0. Art Howe adds a two-run homer. Off the field, Mike Ivie is hospitalized for mental exhaustion less than a month after he was traded to Houston for Jeff Leonard and Dave Bergman. Expected to be the cleanup hitter, Ivie bats .237 with no homers in 19 games. He will miss the rest of the season.
1980 – Houston has a 5-2 lead and needs six outs to reach the World Series. Nolan Ryan is on the mound. Philadelphia surges back to win in ten innings, 8-7, and take the National League pennant before a drained Astrodome crowd. Manny Trillo’s triple caps a five-run Phillie rally but the Astros tie it on hits from Rafael Landestoy and Jose Cruz . Garry Maddox’s sinking double breaks the tie then he snares Enos Cabell’s fly to break Houston hearts. The ten-inning game is the fourth consecutive extra-inning game of the series.