Facing Mets closer Jesse Orosco in the fourteenth inning of Game 6 of the 1986 NLCS, Astros centerfielder Billy Hatcher found himself in a precarious situation. The Mets needed just one win to advance to the World Series; the Astros had not scored since the first inning; and a Wally Backman single had put the Mets ahead by a run in the top of the inning. With one away, Hatcher drove Orosco's first pitch deep into the left-field seats...just foul. Undaunted, Hatcher worked the count to 3-2 before slamming a fastball off the left-field foul pole to tie the game, keeping the Astros' hopes alive.
Most Memorable Postseason Performer
Mike Scott - 1986
FUN FACT
» In 1997, Larry Dierker became only the sixth man in history to lead a club to a division crown in his first year as a big-league manager. The last to accomplish the feat had been the Astros' Hal Lanier in 1986.
Had the 1986 NLCS gone the distance, the Astros almost certainly would have won it. They knew it and the Mets knew it. The reason? The Mets couldn't touch Mike Scott, whose split-fingered fastball had been simply overpowering throughout the season and the series. His 14 strikeouts in Game One had carried the Astros to a 1-0 victory, and in Game Four he was equally impressive, allowing only three hits en route to a complete-game victory.
Most Memorable Pennant Race
1980: First Time in First Place
The 1980 Astros were a team of destiny. Fighting neck-and-neck with the division rival Dodgers all season, Houston overcame the loss of star pitcher J.R. Richard to a career-ending stroke in early June to pull ahead of the Dodgers in mid-September. With just three games left in the season, the Astros headed to Los Angeles needing just one win to capture their first-ever division crown. They didn't get it. The Dodgers, old hats when it came to late-season play, swept the series to force a one-game playoff for the division crown. But behind a six-hit effort from 20-game winner Joe Niekro, the Astros knocked off the Dodgers 7-1 to become the NL West champs.
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