Jesse Lee Barfield is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an right fielder from 1981 to 1992 for the Toronto Blue Jays and the New York Yankees.
JoséCruz Dilan nicknamed Cheo,is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball player,coach and baseball front office executive. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1970 to 1988,most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros.
Craig Alan Biggio is an American former second baseman,outfielder and catcher in Major League Baseball who played his entire career from 1988 through 2007 for the Houston Astros. A seven-time National League (NL) All-Star often regarded as the greatest all-around player in Astros history,he is the only player ever to be named an All-Star and to be awarded Silver Slugger Award at both catcher and second base. With longtime teammates Jeff Bagwell and Lance Berkman,he formed the core of the "Killer B's" who led Houston to six playoff appearances from 1997 to 2005,culminating in the franchise's first World Series appearance in 2005. At the end of his career,he ranked sixth in NL history in games played (2,850),fifth in at bats (10,876),21st in hits (3,060),and seventh in runs scored (1,844). His 668 career doubles ranked sixth in major league history,and are the second-most ever by a right-handed hitter;his 56 doubles in 1999 were the most in the major leagues in 63 years.
César Francisco Gerónimo Zorrilla,known as César Gerónimo,is a Dominican former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as an outfielder from 1969 through 1983,most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won three National League pennants and two World Series championships between 1972 and 1976. He also played for the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals.
Daniel Joseph "Rusty" Staub was an American professional baseball player and television color commentator. He played in Major League Baseball for 23 seasons as a right fielder,designated hitter,and first baseman. A six-time All-Star known for his hitting prowess,Staub produced 2,716 hits over his playing career,just 284 hits shy of the 3,000 hit plateau. He was an original member of the Montreal Expos and the team's first star,“le Grand Orange’”. Although he played just 518 of his 2,951 games as an Expo,his enduring popularity led them to retire his number in 1993,while the Mets inducted him into their team Hall of Fame in 1986.
Steven Allen Finley is an American former center fielder in Major League Baseball who played for eight teams between 1989 and 2007,most notably the Houston Astros,San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks;he is one of only two players,along with Matt Herges,to play for all five National League West teams. An outstanding all-around player with power,speed and defensive skill,he is one of only four players since 1945 with 300 home runs and 100 triples,along with Stan Musial,Willie Mays and George Brett. He is also one of three players,along with Mays and Ken Griffey Jr.,to have 2,500 hits and win five Gold Glove Awards in center field.
James Edward "Pete" Runnels was an American professional baseball player,coach and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder for the Washington Senators (1951–57),Boston Red Sox (1958–62) and Houston Colt .45s (1963–64). Runnels was a five-time All-Star player during his tenure with the Red Sox and,is notable for being a two-time American League batting champion. He was inducted into the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2004.
César Cedeño Encarnación is a Dominican former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1970 to 1986,most prominently as a member of the Houston Astros where he helped the franchise win its first-ever National League Western Division title and postseason berth in 1980.
Amos Joseph Otis is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a center fielder from 1967 to 1984,most prominently as an integral member of the Kansas City Royals team that won the franchise's first American League Western Division championship in 1976,and their first American League pennant in 1980. Although the Royals lost the 1980 World Series in six games to the Philadelphia Phillies,Otis produced a .478 batting average with three home runs in what would be his only World Series appearance.
James Sherman Wynn,nicknamed "The Toy Cannon",was an American professional baseball player. He played 15 seasons as a center fielder;he spent ten of his fifteen seasons with the Houston Colt .45s / Astros before playing 2 All-Star seasons for the Los Angeles Dodgers and then two more seasons with three other teams. Wynn was nicknamed "The Toy Cannon" because his bat was described as having a lot of "pop" for his small size at 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) and 160 lb (73 kg).
Darin Charles Erstad is an American former professional baseball player and the former head coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers baseball team. Erstad spent most of his playing career with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim franchise (1996–2006) before signing with the Chicago White Sox in 2007. Erstad batted and threw left-handed. He was a two-time MLB All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove Award winner. He was the first overall pick in the 1995 Major League Baseball draft.
The University of Houston–Victoria (UHV) is a public university in Victoria,Texas. It is part of the University of Houston System. Its campus spans 20 acres (8.1 ha) in Victoria with a satellite location at UHV Katy. Founded in 1971,UHV has an enrollment of over 4,300 students.
Philip Mason Garner is an American former professional baseball player and manager. He played in Major League Baseball as an infielder with the Oakland Athletics,Pittsburgh Pirates,Houston Astros,Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants from 1973 to 1988. With the Pirates,he won the 1979 World Series over the Baltimore Orioles. He was manager of the Astros from July 14,2004 to August 27,2007,leading Houston to a World Series appearance in 2005.
Vada Edward Pinson Jr. was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played as a center fielder in Major League Baseball for 18 years (1958–1975),most notably for the Cincinnati Reds,for whom he played from 1958 to 1968 as a four-time National League All-Star. He was inducted into the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame in 1977. The 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m),170 lb (77 kg) Pinson,who batted and threw left-handed,combined power,speed,and strong defensive ability. Pinson has the most hits of any retired batter not inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame,excluding those suspected of performance enhancing drug use or gambling.
The 1980 National League Championship Series was played between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Houston Astros from October 7 to 12. It was the 12th NLCS. Philadelphia won the series three games to two to advance to the World Series. It was the first playoff series victory in Phillies history. The Phillies went on to defeat the Kansas City Royals for their first World Series Championship.
Thomas Sylvester Howard is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played 11 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 1990 to 2000 for the San Diego Padres,Cleveland Indians,Cincinnati Reds,Houston Astros,Los Angeles Dodgers,and St. Louis Cardinals. On April 11,2000,he hit the first grand slam at Minute Maid Park.
James Raleigh Mouton is an American former professional baseball player. An outfielder,he played all or parts of eight seasons in Major League Baseball,from 1994 until 2001,for the Houston Astros,San Diego Padres,Montreal Expos and Milwaukee Brewers.
The UHV Jaguars are the athletic teams that represent of the University of Houston–Victoria,located in Victoria,Texas,in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA),primarily competing in the Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) since the 2015–16 academic year. The Jaguars previously competed as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) from the school's athletic program's inception in 2007–08 until 2014–15.
The Killer B's were players on the Houston Astros whose surnames started with the letter B. It also refers to the era of Astros baseball from 1997 to 2005 that saw the team reach the postseason six times in nine seasons with four National League Central division titles,two Wild Card appearances and one National League pennant,which was the most successful era in team history until the 2010s. In fact,from 1994 to 2006,the Astros finished first or second in their division in each year except 2000. Two Killer B's,Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell,are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame as members of the Astros.
Fehlandt A. Lentini is a former American professional baseball player who last played as an outfielder with the Long Island Ducks. Lentini,an outfielder,has played with many different minor and independent league teams over his career,which began in 2001 with the Martinsville Astros of the rookie-level Appalachian League. He attended Sonoma State University and from there,was signed by the Houston Astros as an amateur free agent. In the Astros organization,he played with six different teams from 2001 to 2003. During the 2004 season,Lentini began his tenure in the independent league circuit,signing with the Kalamazoo Kings of the Frontier League. That season,was named a league all-star.
