1996 – Houston rallies for an 8-7 victory over the Cubs in the ten innings. Craig Biggio belts a two-run two-out homer in the bottom of the ninth off Turk Wendell before Sean Berry ties it. John Cangelosi singles home Ricky Gutierrez the next inning to win it. Todd Jones picks up the victory.
1995 – Houston explodes for eight runs in the fifth inning while blanking the Pirates, 11-0. Brian Hunter delivers two hits and scores twice in the inning as well as doubling in a pair. Craig Biggio singles twice on the night to record his 1000th hit. Shane Reynoldshurls a six-hit shutout.
1994 – Jeff Bagwell bashes two home runs and drives in five during a 13-1 massacre of Pittsburgh at the Dome. Craig Biggio adds a grand slam. Bagwell’s shots both come off Ravelo Manzanillo in consecutive innings.
1994 – A leadoff homer by Craig Biggio blossoms into a four-hit night as Houston trips the Cubs, 7-5. Jeff Bagwell drives in four runs. Tom Edens picks up the win in relief.
1994 – Mitch Williams walks the bases full then surrenders two 12th-inning runs in the season opener against Montreal. Ken Caminiti’s two-run double ends a dramatic three-run comeback for a 6-5 Houston triumph. Astros debut new navy and gold uniforms with the leaning star.
1993 – A trio of arbitration cases are avoided when three starters are inked to similar three-year deals. Infielders Craig Biggio and Ken Caminiti, along with outfielder Steve Finley now represent a $32 million dollar investment to go with the $36 million spent on deals for pitchers Doug Drabek and Greg Swindell – a pay-out unlikely to have happened before the recent change in ownership.
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 – 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.
1988 – Catcher Craig Biggio makes his major league debut in a 6-0 whitewash of San Francisco. He walks in the fourth and scores the game’s final run after stealing second. Houston does all its damage on just three hits, aided by six walks. Jim Deshaies and Larry Andersen combine to blank the Giants on seven hits. Biggio will get his first hit three days later against Dodger ace Orel Hershiser.
Ron Brand is born in Los Angeles, CA. The catcher plays for Houston for four seasons (1965-1968) and was the only Houston catcher to bat leadoff before Craig Biggio arrived twenty years later.
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