1978 Houston Astros season

1978 Houston Astros
LeagueNational League
DivisionWest
BallparkAstrodome
CityHouston, Texas
Record74–88 (.457)
Divisional place5th
OwnersGeneral Electric, Ford Motor Company
General managersTal Smith
ManagersBill Virdon
TelevisionKPRC-TV
RadioKPRC (AM)
(Gene Elston, Dewayne Staats)

The 1978 Houston Astros season was the 17th season for the Major League Baseball (MLB) franchise located in Houston, Texas, their 14th as the Astros, 17th in the National League (NL), tenth in the NL West division, and 14th at The Astrodome. The Astros entered the season having completed an 81–81 record for third place and 17 games behind the division-champion and NL pennant-winning Los Angeles Dodgers.

At Riverfront Stadium on April 6, J. R. Richard made his third of five consecutive Opening Day starts for Houston, who were defeated by the Cincinnati Reds, 11–9. The Astros' first round pick in the amateur draft was pitcher Rod Boxberger at 11th overall; in the second round, they chose outfielder Danny Heep.

Center fielder Terry Puhl was Astros' representative at the MLB All-Star Game and played for the National League, his lone career selection. Third baseman Eddie Mathews, who briefly played for Houston in 1967, became the second former Astro to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Astros concluded the season fifth in the NL West with a record of 74–88, 21 games behind Los Angeles, who repeated as both division champions and NL pennant winners. J. R. Richard became the first right-handed pitcher in National League history to reach 300 strikeouts, as well as the first Houston Astros pitcher to lead the league, with 303.

Offseason

Regular season

Summary

April

Opening Day starting lineup
Uniform Player Position
21Terry PuhlLeft fielder
23Enos CabellThird baseman
28César CedeñoCenter fielder
25José CruzRight fielder
27Bob WatsonFirst baseman
13Joe FergusonCatcher
18Art HoweSecond baseman
14Roger MetzgerShortstop
50J. R. RichardPitcher
Venue: Riverfront Stadium • Cincinnati 11, Houston 9

Sources:[4][5]

The Astros turned their first triple play on an Opening Day on April 6, and third in club history,[6] Though the contest began auspiciously for Houston, they fell to the Cincinnati Reds, 11–9, at Riverfront Stadium. Terry Puhl cranked a home run to lead off the game and season, and César Cedeño and Joe Ferguson joined Puhl with longballs. During the bottom of the seventh, Joe Sambito relieved and struck out Dan Driessen. On a botched double steal, Ferguson gunned down George Foster, while Joe Morgan was caught in a rundown between second and third base to turn the triple play.[7][8] Cedeño hit his second career home run on Opening Day,[9] while Ferguson did likewise for the second consecutive Opening Day.[10]

On April 21, Houston turned another triple play[6] at Dodger Stadium, marking their second instance to have turned two within the same season,[a] while being the first to occur within the same month.[6] Simulating a Hollywood ending, the Dodgers had led during the top of the eighth inning, 6 to 5, when catcher Joe Ferguson cranked a three-run home run to put Houston ahead, 8 to 6. Ken Forsch pitched the bottom of the ninth, and Bill Russell and Reggie Smith both singled, resulting in runners on first and second for Ron Cey. Cey slashed a liner to Bob Watson, which he snagged, stepped on first, and spun and rifled the ball to Roger Metzger. Metzger raced ahead of Russell to the bag to effectuate their trifecta, and ice an 8–6 triumph over the Los Angeles.[7][11][12]

May

On May 20, José Cruz got the Astros off to fast start with a two-run first-inning bomb as they lifted off on the Atlanta Braves, 13–0.[13] Cruz never looked back, capturing both career highs of four hits and six runs batted in (RBI),[14] and added a stolen base.[13] Denny Walling connected for his first major league home run,[11] and added three RBI. Enos Cabell collected three hits as Astros hitters struck out just once. In his second straight shutout,[11] J. R. Richard was brilliant, striking out 8 to furnish a game score of 80, while, at the plate, he added a hit, run scored and an RBI.[13]

For the week ended May 21, J. R. Richard hurled two complete game shutouts, winning both decisions with six hits and, in spite of, ten bases on balls surrendered, to go with 17 strikeouts landed.[15] Hence, Richard was credited with the NL Player of the Week accolade.[16]

Three wild pitches in one inning on May 30 marred an otherwise gem of an outing by J. R. Richard. The temporary fluctuation in control set up the lone run of the contest to score as the San Francisco Giants prevailed over Houston, 1–0.[17]

June

In spite of setting a new record as a team with 7 errors on June 12, the Astros' Jesús Alou hit a leadoff double to start a rally in the top of the eighth inning. The Astros followed with six runs scored that led to 6–5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.[18]

On June 9, Cruz tripled twice for the only time in career, attained his fifth career four-hit game, and third with five RBI.[14] He also pilfered a base. Cruz' final safety was a bases-loaded triple which extended the lead to 11–5 during the top of the eighth. Art Howe and Denny Walling each added a pair of RBI, while César Cedeño stroked three hits and stole a bag. Meanwhile, J. R. Richard (5–6) qualified for a victory though he surrendered 5 hits, 6 walks, and 5 runs to the St. Louis Cardinals in 5+1⁄3 frames in an 11–7 Houston triumph. Twelve of his 16 outs were whiffs. Ken Forsch entered during the bottom of the eighth and extinguished a Cardinals threat with two runs in, while retiring four of five batters faced to earn a third save.[19]

July

Knuckleballer Joe Niekro started against the Philadelphia Philles on July 17, opposing Larry Christenson. Niekro pitched an 11-inning complete game, struck out eight, surrendered five hits and one run for a game score of 88. During the bottom of the 11th inning, José Cruz led off against Rawly Eastwick, and blasted Eastwick's first offering for a walk-off home run, his fifth longball and eighth game-winning hit of the campaign. Cruz' blast furnished a 2–1 Astros' triumph while punctuating the victory for Niekro in his marathon bout.[20] The 11 innings represented a career-high for Niekro.[21]

On July 31, Niekro fired a two-hit, one-run complete game victory, his lowest-hit complete-game outing since a one-hit shutout masterpiece on July 2, 1970, as a member of the Detroit Tigers.[21]

For the month of July, right-hander J. R. Richard recorded a 4–0 win–loss record (W–L), 1.29 earned run average (ERA) and four complete games over six starts. In 56 inning pitched, Richard allowed 30 hits, 11 runs, 2 home runs, 23 BB, a 0.946 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) with 58 strikeouts.[22] This performance netted Richard with commendation as NL Pitcher of the Month, the first-ever Astros moundsman so recognized.[23]

August

During an 8–3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on August 21,[24] J. R. Richard procured his 236th whiff to pass Don Wilson for the Astros' single-season strikeout record (1969).[25] The strikeout victim was Tim Blackwell during the top of the seventh inning. Later in the inning, Bill Buckner singled home two Cubs, and Greg Gross scored on a wild pitch. Richard (13–11) earned the victory with a quality start (7+2⁄3 IP, 3 ER, 4 BB, 6 K). Meanwhile, José Cruz homered, going 4-for-4 with 4 RBI.[26]

September

From September 4 to 10, José Cruz went 11-for-23 for a .478 batting average, with four doubles, three RBI, and three stolen bases.[27] Cruz was named NL Player of the Week.[16]

Richard surpassed Tom Seaver's record of 289 strikeouts on September 19, by whiffing the Braves' Bob Horner on a 1–2 offering in the seventh inning. The strikeout set the record for right-handers in the National League.[28]

Niekro whiffed a career-high 11 on September 20, during a nine-inning complete game;[21] however, Niekro (12–14) suffered the defeat as the Atlanta Braves. Glenn Hubbard singled in pinch runner Eddie Miller for the go-ahead tally.[29]

On September 28, J. R. Richard recorded his 300th strikeout of the season in a 4–3 win over the Braves, tallying six whiffs to get to 303. Richard became the first right-handed pitcher in National League history to achieve this milestone in one season, He also homered in the third inning off Larry McWilliams. The Astros rallied to win in the seventh inning with a double by Reggie Baldwin and a single by Rafael Landestoy.[30]

Performance overview

The Astros concluded the 1978 season 74–88 (.457) performance, in fifth place in the NL West, and trailing the NL pennant-winning Dodgers by 21 games.[31] This represented a decline in performance by 7 wins and a drop from third place in the standings, from the year prior.[32]

With 303 whiffs, J. R. Richard became the premier Astros pitcher to lead the league in strikeouts,[33] and the first to reach 300-plus while establishing a new club record, supplanting the 235 by Don Wilson in 1969. Moreover, Richard become Houston's first three-time 200-strikeout moundsman (214 each in 1976 and 1977).[b][34] For the second consecutive season, Richard led the NL in hits per nine innings (6.278 H/9), the third time by an Astros pitcher.[35] Richard's 56 wins also led NL right-handers over the previous three seasons.[28] Richard also led the NL for the second consecutive season with 151 free passes, the first Astros hurler to do so. Jerry Reuss became the first Astros pitcher to lead the league in walks in 1973.[36]

Enos Cabell became the first Astro to play the full 162-game schedule, while establishing other single-season franchise records. including hits (195) and at bats (660). His hits record stood until 1998 when Craig Biggio collected 210.[37] Hence, Cabell was named the Houston Astros' team Most Valuable Player (MVP).[38]

José Cruz was the only National League batter with as many as two walk-off home runs in 1978.[c][39]

Season standings

NL West
Team W L Pct. GB Home Road
Los Angeles Dodgers 9567 .586 — 54‍–‍27 41‍–‍40
Cincinnati Reds 9269 .571 2½ 49‍–‍31 43‍–‍38
San Francisco Giants 8973 .549 6 50‍–‍31 39‍–‍42
San Diego Padres 8478 .519 11 50‍–‍31 34‍–‍47
Houston Astros 7488 .457 21 50‍–‍31 24‍–‍57
Atlanta Braves 6993 .426 26 39‍–‍42 30‍–‍51

Record vs. opponents

1978 National League record

Sources:
Team ATL CHC CIN HOU LAD MON NYM PHI PIT SD SF STL
Atlanta —5–76–128–105–135–76–68–42–108–1011–75–7
Chicago 7–5—7–56–64–87–1111–74–147–117–54–815–3
Cincinnati 12–65–7—11–79–98–47–57–54–79–912–68–4
Houston 10–86–67–11—7–116–67–56–64–88–106–127–5
Los Angeles 13–58–49–911–7—8–47–57–57–59–911–75–7
Montreal 7–511–74–86–64–8—8–109–97–116–65–79–9
New York 6–67–115–75–75–710–8—6–127–115–73–97–11
Philadelphia 4-814–45–76–65–79–912–6—11–78–46–610–8
Pittsburgh 10–211–77–48–45–711–711–77–11—5–74–89–9
San Diego 10–85–79–910–89–96–67–54–87–5—8–109–3
San Francisco 7–118–46–1212–67–117–59–36–68–410–8—9–3
St. Louis 7–53–154–85–77–59–911–78–109–93–93–9—

Notable transactions

Roster

1978 Houston Astros
Roster
Pitchers Catchers

Infielders

 Outfielders Manager

Coaches

Game log

Regular season

Legend
 Astros win
 Astros loss
 Postponement
 Eliminated from playoff race
BoldAstros team member
1978 regular season game log: 74–88 (Home: 46–35; Away: 35–46)[45]
April: 10–12 (Home: 7–5; Away: 3–7)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
1April 6@ Reds
2April 7@ Reds
3April 8@ Reds
4April 9@ Reds
5April 10Dodgers
6April 11Dodgers
7April 12Dodgers
8April 14Reds
9April 15Reds
10April 16Reds
13April 20@ Dodgers
14April 21@ Dodgers
15April 22@ Dodgers
16April 23@ Dodgers
May: 10–13 (Home: 7–6; Away: 3–7)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
June: 13–14 (Home: 9–6; Away: 4–8)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
—June 7@ PiratesPostponed (Rain) (Makeup date: August 17)
—June 8@ PiratesPostponed (Rain) (Makeup date: August 20)
55June 12Pirates
56June 13Pirates
57June 14Pirates
61June 20@ Dodgers
62June 21@ Dodgers
63June 22@ Dodgers
68June 26Reds
69June 27Reds
70June 28Reds
71June 29Reds
July: 15–17 (Home: 11–5; Away: 4–12)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
76July 3@ Reds
77July 4@ Reds
78July 5@ Reds
79July 7Dodgers
80 (1)July 8Dodgers
81 (2)July 8Dodgers
82July 9Dodgers
—July 117:40 p.m. CDT49th All-Star Game in San Diego, CA
August: 14–14 (Home: 9–4; Away: 5–10)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
119 (1)August 17@ Pirates
120 (2)August 17@ Pirates
121August 18@ Pirates
122August 19@ Pirates
123 (1)August 20@ Pirates
124 (2)August 20@ Pirates
128August 25Pirates
129August 26Pirates
130August 27Pirates
September: 11–18 (Home: 6–5; Away: 5–13)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak
137September 4Reds
138September 5Reds
139September 7Dodgers
1406September 8Dodgers
143September 11@ Reds
144September 12@ Reds
145September 13@ Dodgers
146September 14@ Dodgers
October: 1–0 (Home: 1–0; Away: 0–0)
#DateTime (CT)OpponentScoreWinLossSaveTime of GameAttendanceRecordBox/
Streak

Detailed records

Player stats

Batting

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
CJoe Ferguson5115031.207722
1BBob Watson139461133.2891479
2BArt Howe119420123.293755
SSRafael Landestoy5921858.26609
3BEnos Cabell162660195.295771
LFDenny Walling12024762.251336
CFTerry Puhl149585169.289335
RFJosé Cruz153565178.3151083

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in

Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
Julio González7822352.233116
César Cedeño5019254.281723
Dave Bergman10418643.231012
Bruce Bochy5415441.266315
Luis Pujols5615320.131111
Wilbur Howard8414834.230113
Jimmy Sexton8814129.20626
Jesús Alou7713945.312219
Roger Metzger4512327.22006
Mike Fischlin448610.11600
Reggie Baldwin386717.254111
Keith Drumright17559.16402
Ed Herrmann16364.11100
Jeffrey Leonard82610.38504
Joe Cannon8184.22201
Jim Obradovich10173.17602

Pitching

= Indicates league leader

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
J. R. Richard36275.018113.11303
Mark Lemongello33210.19143.9477
Joe Niekro35202.214143.8697
Vern Ruhle1368.0332.1227

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G IP W L ERA SO
Tom Dixon30140.07113.9966
Joaquín Andújar35110.2573.4255
Floyd Bannister28110.1394.8194
Dan Warthen510.2014.222

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts

Player G W L SV ERA SO
Joe Sambito6249113.0796
Ken Forsch5210672.7071
Rick Williams171204.6717
Bo McLaughlin120125.0110
Gene Pentz100006.008
Oscar Zamora100007.206
Frank Riccelli20000.002

Awards and achievements

Career honors

Photocard of Eddie Mathews as a member of the Astros in 1967.
Astros elected to Baseball Hall of Fame
Individual Position Houston Astros career Induction
Uni. Seasons Games Start Finish
Eddie Mathews Third baseman 11 1 101 1967 Class Plaque
See also: Members of the Baseball Hall of Fame • Sources:[46]

Annual awards

Pitching achievements

300 strikeout club
Player K W–L ERA K/9
J. R. Richard 303 18–11 3.11 9.9

League leaders

Batting leaders[49]
Pitching leaders[50][51]

Other

1978 grand slams
No.DateAstros batterVenueInningPitcherOpposing teamBox
None[d]

See also

Minor league system

Level Team League Manager
AAA Charleston Charlies International League Jim Beauchamp
AA Columbus Astros Southern League Jimmy Johnson
A Daytona Beach Astros Florida State League Leo Posada and Chuck Sprinkle
Rookie GCL Astros Gulf Coast League Julio Linares

Notes

  1. ↑ July 16 and September 17, 1971.
  2. ↑ For single seasons, playing for HOU, in the regular season, requiring strikeouts ≥ 200, sorted by ascending season.
  3. ↑ Eddie Murray (Baltimore) was the only player who hit as many as three. All: 54 home runs in 1978 – walk-off
  4. ↑ Houston's first season without a grand slam since 1967.

References

  1. ↑ "Keith Drumright stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 14, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Oscar Zamora stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Jesús Alou stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Houston Astros (9) vs Cincinnati Reds (11) box score". Baseball Almanac. April 6, 1978. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  5. ↑ "1978 Houston Astros uniform numbers". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 "MLB triple plays". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  7. 1 2 SARR. "Triple plays database". Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Houston Astros (9) vs Cincinnati Reds (11) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. April 6, 1978. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  9. ↑ "César Cedeño home runs". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  10. ↑ "Joe Ferguson home runs". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  11. 1 2 3 Hulsey, Bob. "This date in Astros history". Astros Daily. Retrieved September 7, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Houston Astros (8) vs Los Angeles Dodgers (6) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. April 21, 1978. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  13. 1 2 3 "Atlanta Braves (0) vs Houston Astros (13) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. May 20, 1978. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  14. 1 2 "Top performances for José Cruz". Retrosheet. Retrieved November 4, 2025.
  15. ↑ "J. R. Richard 1978 pitching game logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 13, 2026.
  16. 1 2 3 "MLB Players of the Week Awards". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  17. ↑ Schwartzberg, Seth (May 30, 2025). "Today in Astros history - May 30". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved July 24, 2025.
  18. ↑ Schwartzberg, Seth (June 12, 2025). "Today in Astros history - June 12". The Crawfish Boxes. SB Nation. Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  19. ↑ "Houston Astros (11) vs St. Louis Cardinals (7) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. June 9, 1978. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  20. ↑ Gattie, Gordon J. (July 17, 1978). "Jose Cruz's walk-off homer preserves Joe Niekro's extra-inning complete game gem". Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  21. 1 2 3 "Top performances for Joe Niekro". Retrosheet. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  22. ↑ "J. R. Richard 1978 pitching splits". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  23. 1 2 "Major League Baseball Pitchers of the Month". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  24. ↑ "J. R. Richard 1978 pitching game lobs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  25. ↑ "The Strikeout Zone". Astros Daily. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Chicago Cubs (3) vs Houston Astros (8) box score". August 21, 1978. Retrieved February 19, 2026.
  27. ↑ "José Cruz 1978 batting game logs". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved April 13, 2025.
  28. 1 2 Hulsey, Bob (January 6, 2006). "James Rodney 'J. R.' Richard #50". Astros Daily. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Atlanta Braves (3) vs Houston Astros (2) box score". Baseball-Reference.com. September 20, 1978. Retrieved February 2, 2026.
  30. ↑ "J. R. Richard becomes the first righthander in National league history to reach 300 strikeouts during a 4–3 victory over Atlanta". The Day in Baseball. September 28, 1978. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  31. ↑ "1978 National League team statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Houston Astros team history & encyclopedia". Baaseball-Reference.com. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  33. ↑ "Yearly league leaders & records for strikeouts". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 17, 2025.
  34. ↑ "Player pitching season & career stats finder–baseball". Stathead. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  35. ↑ "Yearly league leaders and records for hits per 9 IP". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  36. ↑ "Bases on balls year-by-year leaders". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
  37. ↑ "Astros history – Timeline". MLB.com. Retrieved August 30, 2025.
  38. 1 2 McTaggart, Brian (December 21, 2009). "Bourn highlights Astros' awards season". MLB.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved October 14, 2025.
  39. ↑ "Batting event finder". Stathead. Sports Reference. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Bob Coluccio stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Danny Heep stats, height, weight, position, rookie status & more". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  42. ↑ Frank Riccelli at Baseball Reference
  43. ↑ Dan Larson at Baseball Reference
  44. ↑ Gene Pentz at Baseball Reference
  45. ↑ "1978 Houston Astros schedule & results". Baseball Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2025.
  46. ↑ "Houston Astros Hall of Fame register". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved August 31, 2025.
  47. ↑ "1978 All-Star Game box score". Baseball-Reference.com. July 11, 1978. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  48. ↑ "1978 awards voting". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved June 7, 2026.
  49. ↑ "1978 National League batting leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  50. ↑ "1978 National League pitching leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
  51. ↑ "1978 Major League pitching leaders". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
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