Happy Birthday - 10/13

No future Astros, but several former Astros are celebrating birthdays today ~

3B Eddie Mathews (died 2/18/01 at 69)
Mathews came to Houston in a December 1966 trade with the Braves and played in 101 games for the Astros before an August 1967 trade sent him to Detroit. His .238/.333/.381 batting line with the Astros is not indicative of his Hall of Fame career. Mathews spent the greatest part of his career playing for the Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves for whom he made eight All-Star appearances and hit .273/.379/.517 with 493 home runs in 15 seasons.

RHP Frank LaCorte (62)
Obtained in a May 1979 trade with Atlanta, LaCorte went on to pitch for the Astros from 1979 to 1983. In 196 appearances, he had a 4.03 ERA and a 1.338 WHIP. 1980 was his best season for Houston as he was  8-5 with 11 saves, a 2.82 ERA and a 1.253 WHIP in 55 appearances.

RHP Randy Moffitt (65)
Originally a first round pick by San Francisco in 1970, Moffitt signed with Houston as a free agent in 1982. In 30 appearances for the Astros that year, he was 2-4 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.176 WHIP. Tennis legend Billie Jean King is Moffitt's sister.

RHP Mike Capel (52)
A 13th round draft pick by the Cubs in 1983, Capel signed with Houston as a free agent in January 1991. In one season for Houston, he went 1-3 with a 3.03 ERA and a 1.469 WHIP in 25 games. Capel was a teammate of Roger Clemens on the 1983 University of Texas team that won the College World Series.

RHP Taylor Buchholz (32)
A sixth round draft pick by the Phillies in 2000, Buchholz came to Houston in a November 2003 trade with Philadelphia, along with Ezequial Astacio and Brandon Duckworth for Billy Wagner. He appeared in 22 games (19 starts) for the Astros in 2006 with a 6-10 record, a 5.89 ERA and a 1.248 WHIP. He was traded to Colorado in December 2006, along with Jason Hirsch and Willy Taveras for Miguel Asencio and he-who-must-not-be-named.