Here's the second installment of my countdown to Opening Day.
The Astros' home openers from 1972-1981.
April 15, 1972: Giants 5, Astros 0: It started off lousy with 2 straight losses, but after that the team went on a 9-game win streak that included two walkoffs en route to its best season ever, an 84-69 campaign. Opening Day saw them dominated by Juan Marichal, who pitched 7 shutout innings and went 2-for-3 at the plate, besting Don Wilson. Astros got 2 hits each from Cesar Cedeno and Lee May.
April 6, 1973: Astros 2, Braves 1 (13 innings): The longest season opener to date was a win as Cesar Cedeno doubled in Tommy Helms in the top of the 13th for the win. Cedeno opened the season with two doubles and a triple and Dave Roberts pitched 9 innings of 1-run ball. The Braves' starting centerfielder went 3 for 6 that day; that being a 24-year-old Dusty Baker. Yeah he started for the Braves on Opening Day FORTY NINE YEARS AGO.
April 5, 1974: Giants 5, Astros 1: Baby Me cried in his crib during this disappointing showing. The \Giants roughed up Dave Roberts for 5 runs in 5 innings, including a two-run shot by Gary Madddox in the win. Eventual Rookie of the Year Greg Gross went 3 for 4 for the good guys. Giants cranking out 17,000 for their home opener.
April 7, 1975: Astros 6, Braves 2: A good start to a bad season that ultimately turned into something really special. Team started off 47-80, getting manager and star of the Addams Family Preston Gomez fired. But he was replaced by Bill Virdon, and on August 7, Tal Smith was hired as the general manager. Larry Dierker went the distance with a 4-hitter for the win beating Phil Niekro. Astros were led by Jose Cruz, who went 3-for-4 with a homer and racked up 14 hits total.
April 8, 1976: Reds 11, Astros 5: Nothing like starting off the year vs. the World Series champions, and man did the Reds look the part. They swept the Astros in three and outscored them 33-15. J.R. Richard started and didn't get out of the 5th inning. The Reds' lineup looks liked they had $300 million in free agency, except there was no free agency. Their lineup that day: Pete Rose, Ken Griffey, Joe Morgan, Johnny Becnh, Tony Perez, George Foster, Dave Concepcion, Cesar Geronimo that's four guys who had or would win an MVP award and three Hall of Famers (plus Rose). Meanwhile the Astros started someone named Wilbur Howard in left field and he went 0-for-5.
April 8, 1977: Astros 3, Braves 2 (11 innings): Beating the Braves on Opening Day was become a habit. New Astro catcher Joe Ferguson hit a walkoff home run in the 11th for the victrory on his way to a really nice year, hitting 16 HR and 61 RBI, then Tal Smith turned him around to LA the next year for Rafael Landestoy and Jeff Leonard, not bad! JR Richard pitched the first 9 innings, allowing 2 runs and striking out 7.
April 6, 1978: Reds 11, Astros 9: Another white-washing by the Reds, who beat the Astros 4 straight to start this season. Pedro Borbon, of "Airplane!" fame, got the win for the Reds. Good guys were up 5-1 at one point, then down 11-5 before scoring 4 in the top of the ninth to make it close. Lots of components of a famous Astro lineup now in place Terry Puhl led off the season with a first-inning home run off Tom Seaver and went 2-for-4. Cedeno went 2-for-4 and Cruz went 3-for-5. Seaver got ripped for 5 earned runs in 3 innings, unfortunately JR Richard gave up 7 earned runs in 4-2/3.
April 6, 1979: Astros 2, Braves 1: 4-0 vs. the Braves on Opening Day en route to a new team-record of 89 wins and missing the playoffs by one game. A two-run double by Enos Cabell in the first inning off Phil Niekro was all the Astros needed for the W. Niekro took a complete game loss. JR Richard got the win with 5-1/3 innings, and Joaquin Andjuar, my mom's second least-favorite Astro of all time, was great with a 3-2/3 inning, 1-hit save.
April 10, 1980: Astros 3, Dodgers 2: The first playoff season in club history started by taking 3 out of 4 from the mighty Dodgers. The only loss came in 17 innings. JR Richard set the tone for all future Opening Day starters, throwing 8 innings of 2-hit ball with 0 walks and 13 strikeouts. Puhl and Cruz both went yard off Burt Hooton in the first inning.
April 9, 1981: Dodgers 2, Astros 0: The lost season of the strike started with 4 straight losses for a team that wound up 61-49. Opening Day matched Joe Niekro vs. rookie Fernando Valenzuela on his way to Rookie of the Year and Cy Young honors. Niekro was good 7 innings, 2 runs; Fernando was better, complete game five hit shutout with 5 strikeouts. The Dodgers started one of the most punchable face lineups of all time, Garvey, Scioscia, Ron Cey, Pedro Guerrero, and yes, your manager, Dusty Baker, who was an old man of 32 by then. For you young guys, Valenzuela was supposedly 20, but looked about 35. He had pitched 10 games out of the bullpen at the end of 1980 for LA with an ERA of 0.00 and 16 strikeouts in 17 innings. In the strike season of 1981, he went 13-7 with a 2.48 ERA and led the league in complete games (11), shutouts (8!), innings pitched (192) and strikeouts (180).
Life is better with a beagle