Due to the Republican National Convention being hosted at the Astrodome from August 17–20, the Astros played 26 consecutive road games from July 27 through August 23, going 12–14 on the road trip. The club played in all National League cities except Montreal, New York City, and Pittsburgh.
In their first game back at The Astrodome on August 25 following the 28-day road trip, shortstop Andújar Cedeñohit for the cycle, the fourth in club history. The Astros won 25 of their final 38 games following the long road trip to finish at .500 (81–81), in fourth place in the NL West and 17 games behind the Braves, who repeated as division champions and NL pennant winners. This represented a 16-game improvement from the year prior for Houston. Hence, the 1992 season was the start of the longest period of consistent regular-season success in franchise history, where they finished at .500 or above in each of 15 of 17 seasons through 2008, and made the playoffs six times.
Following the season, Doug Jones was recognized with The Sporting News NL Fireman of the Year Award.[a]
First baseman Jeff Bagwell came off the bench on May 10 to deliver two home runs, including one in an extra innings. He hit the decisive blow in the 10th inning for a 6–4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.[7]
June
On June 14, outfielder Pete Incaviglia tied the club record with 7 runs batted in (RBI) to lead a 15–7 victory over the San Francisco Giants. He homered twice and hit a run-scoring double.[8] Incaviglia's performance equaled infielder Rafael Ramírez' effort on August 29, 1989, in which the Chicago Cubs came all the way back from a 9–0 deficit to claim victory, 10–9, in the tenth inning.[9]
The Astros' Jones duo of Jimmy and Doug combined to deliver a 1–0 shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 20. Jimmy tossed the first 8 innings to earn the win, while Doug closed the final three outs for the save.[10] On June 21, Butch Henry and Doug Jones combined on another shutout of Los Angeles, en route to 2–0 win and series sweep. The two contests were the last of 20 consecutive innings in which Houston held Los Angeles scoreless. Incaviglia's two-run home run accounted for all the scoring in the game.[11] On June 28, with the Dodgers hosting the Astros, the Landers earthquake in nearly San Bernardino County struck in the morning of the game. The Astros lost, 8–2. Meanwhile, Ken Caminiti led the Astros with four hits.[12]
MLB All-Star Game
Closer Doug Jones and second baseman Craig Biggio were selected to the MLB All-Star Game, which was hosted at Jack Murphy Stadium. It was the third career selection for Jones, and second for Biggio, who was also selected to the previous year's All-Star Game as a catcher. Biggio became the first player ever to make the All-Star team at both positions.[13]
Andújar Cedeño's cycle
In their first game back at The Astrodome on August 25 following the 28-day road trip, shortstop Andújar Cedeñohit for the cycle, the fourth in club history. With the Astros hosting the St. Louis Cardinals, Cedeño's first hit was a triple, he homered in the seventh inning, doubled in the 11th inning and got the single off Les Smith in the 13th inning. It was the first cycle for an Astros player since Bob Watson accomplished the feat on June 24, 1977.[14] The final cycle hit at the Astrodome,[15] the next Astros cycle after Cedeño was by teammate Jeff Bagwell on July 18, 2001 at Enron Field.[b][14]
Retirement of José Cruz' (25) and Mike Scott's (33) uniform numbers
On October 3, 1992, the team officially retired the uniform numbers of outfielder José Cruz and right-handed starting pitcher Mike Scott, also former teammates.[16]
During his career with the Astros, Scott accumulated the most regular-season outings with a game score of 90 or higher in club history (6).[c][17] In the 1986 playoffs, Scott tossed one other such outing.[d][e][18][19]
Cruz retired as the franchise leader in walk-off home runs, with six.[20] Through each of Houston's first nine playoff runs, Cruz remained an on-field presence: the first three as a player (1980, 1981, and 1986) and as a coach during the next six (1997–1999, 2001, 2004, and 2005).[21]
Performance overview
The Astros concluded the 1992 campaign with a final record of 81–81, in fourth place, and 17 games trailing the first-place Atlanta Braves, an overall improvement of 16 wins from the year before. The 1992 season also initiated an era of unprecedented success and consistency for the club, as they continued to assemble a regular season record of .500 or higher on 15 occasions over a span of the next 17 seasons through 2008, while qualifying for six playoff appearances. It was also the first of eight successive campaigns each with a winning percentage of .500 or more through 1999, an achievement ultimately establishing a club record.[22]
The Astros won six games on walk-off home runs, the most of any MLB team in 1992.[23]
Doug Jones established the club single-season record for saves with 36,[13] which passed Dave Smith, who set the previous record in 1986 with 33.
12Awarded annually from 1960–2010 to one relief pitcher from each league, the NL and the American League (AL). Jones was the only Houston Astro recognized with this award.
↑The Astros relocated from the Astrodome following the 1999 season to Enron Field.
↑Number of games in a career player meets criteria, playing for HOU, in the regular season, requiring Game Score ≥ 90, sorted by descending instances.
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