Enron Field officially opens with a 6-5 exhibition win over the A.L. Champion New York Yankees, paralleling the feat that occured when the Astrodome opened in 1965. Daryle Ward’s two-run homer caps a four-run eighth-inning rally to open up the Astros’ new home in style.
1999 – Jeff Bagwell bashes three home runs at Wrigley Field and drives in six to drop the Cubs, 10-3. Bagwell passes Jim Wynn’s mark for the most homers in franchise history.
1998 – Jeff Bagwell launches his first career grand slam and drives in six as Houston mauls the Reds, 13-7. Bagwell and Derek Bell contribute three hits apiece. Sean Bergman picks up the victory.
1998 – Randy Johnson outduels Atlanta’s Greg Maddux for a 4-2 triumph. Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and Sean Berry take Maddux deep. Billy Wagner closes for his 27th save.
1998 – Sean Berry raps four hits, including a homer, to pace a 10-4 triumph over the Chicago White Sox. Jeff Bagwell and Moises Alou also go deep. Houston plays “deuces wild”, scoring two runs in five separate innings to complete the scoring.
1998 – Jeff Bagwell and Moises Alou each belt a pair of homers and drive in four as the Astros sink the White Sox, 17-2, at the Astrodome. Their first homers go back-to-back off Jamie Navarro. The bats are working so well that Dave Clark can contribute a two-run double.
1997 – Jeff Bagwell’s two-run bomb off Paul Byrd finishes a wild 6-4, 13-inning triumph in Atlanta. A ninth-inning triple by Bill Spiers and a homer by Chuckie Carr off Mark Wohlers send the game to overtime. The teams trade tallies in the 11th before Bagwell settles the issue. Jose Lima gets the save.
1997 – Darryl Kile blanks the Rockies at Coors Field for seven innings during a 7-0 whitewash, allowing four hits. Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell blast homers for Houston. Kile would opt for Colorado and free agency after the season, despite warnings his pitching would suffer in the thin Rocky Mountain air.
1997 – An intentional walk to Jeff Bagwell with the bases empty and two outs in the 14th backfires on the Reds. It is Jeff’s third free pass of the night but he steals second and scores on a single by Luis Gonzalez for a 4-3 triumph. Bill Spiers adds four hits.
Padres third baseman Ken Caminiti is selected as the fourth unanimous winner of the National League’s Most Valuable Player award, joining Orlando Cepeda (1967 Cardinals), Mike Schmidt (1980 Phillies), and Jeff Bagwell (1994 Astros). The oft-injured San Diego infielder admitted 2002 in a Sports Illustrated cover story that he had used steroids during his 1996 MVP season, and for several seasons afterward.
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