Happy Birthday - 3/26

No future Astros with birthdays, but two former Astros celebrate today ~

RHP Shane Reynolds (47)
Drafted by the Astros in the third round in 1989, Reynolds pitched for Houston from 1992 to 2002. He had a 103-86 record over 274 appearances (248 starts) with an ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.292. His best season was 1998 when he went 19-8 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.329 WHIP. In 1999 he led the National League in SO/BB ratio and sacrifice hits, and was finally given an All-Star nod in 2000.

IF Jose Vizcaino (47)
Vizcaino played in 18 seasons for eight different teams, five of those for Houston from 2001 to 2005 where he batted .276/.316/.369 in 559 games. He led the National League in fielding percentage and assists by a shortstop in 1995 for the Mets. In 2000, he had the game-winning hit for the Yankees in Game 1 of the Subway World Series between the Yankees and the Mets. He is currently a Special Assistant for Player Personnel for the Dodgers.

Happy Birthday - 3/26

No future Astros with birthdays, but two former Astros celebrate today ~

RHP Shane Reynolds (46)
Drafted by the Astros in the third round in 1989, Reynolds pitched for Houston from 1992 to 2002. He had a 103-86 record over 274 appearances (248 starts) with an ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.292. His best season was 1998 when he went 19-8 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.329 WHIP. In 1999 he led the National League in SO/BB ratio and sacrifice hits, and was finally given an All-Star nod in 2000.

IF Jose Vizcaino (46)
Vizcaino played in 18 seasons for eight different teams, five of those for Houston from 2001 to 2005 where he batted .276/.316/.369 in 559 games. He led the National League in fielding percentage and assists by a shortstop in 1995 for the Mets. In 2000, he had the game-winning hit for the Yankees in Game 1 of the Subway World Series between the Yankees and the Mets. He is currently a Special Assistant for Player Personnel for the Dodgers.

Happy Birthday - 3/26

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Shane Reynolds (45)
Drafted by the Astros in the third round in 1989, Reynolds pitched for Houston from 1992 to 2002. He had a 103-86 record over 274 appearances (248 starts) with an ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.292. His best season was 1998 when he went 19-8 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.329 WHIP. In 1999 he led the National League in SO/BB ratio and sacrifice hits, and was finally given an All-Star nod in 2000.

IF Jose Vizcaino (45)
Vizcaino played in 18 seasons for eight different teams, five of those for Houston from 2001 to 2005 where he batted .276/.316/.369 in 559 games. He led the National League in fielding percentage and assists by a shortstop in 1995 for the Mets. In 2000, he had the game-winning hit for the Yankees in Game 1 of the Subway World Series between the Yankees and the Mets.

No Birthdays Today But ...

Since there are no future or former Astros with birthdays today, I was looking around for something relevant to the Houston Astros that had to do with this date.  In looking at Transactions on this Date from Baseball-Reference, I noticed that Shane Reynolds was released on this date in 2003. Whoa, didn't I just cover his birthday yesterday?  Why, yes I did.  So the Astros released the 11-season Houston veteran one day after his 35th birthday.  Happy Birthday, Shane.

Reynolds had undergone back surgery the prior June, but had recovered well and was fully expecting to make the team out of Spring Training.  Why was he released?  This Chronicle archive article from Richard Justice explores the various possibilities and gives Reynolds' side of the story.

But I was more interested in how Reynolds fared for Atlanta in that 2003 season as compared to the Houston staff he left behind than in how it all came about.  The rotation for Houston that year started as:

Roy Oswalt

Wade Miller

Jeriome Robertson

Brian Moehler

Tim Redding

Oswalt, Miller, Robertson and Redding were all fixtures for the entire season, but Brian Moehler's spot rapidly became a revolving door until it stabilized with Ron Villone.  Collectively, Brian Moehler, Scott Linebrink, Kirk Saarloos, Pete Munro, Jonathan Johnson, Rodrigo Rosario and Jared Fernandez made 26 starts, going 5-7 as starters.  Add Ron Vallone's starts and that becomes 11-13 in 45 starts.  Shane Reynolds was 11-9 in 29 starts for Atlanta that year.  He won as many games as those other eight pitchers combined.

As a matter of fact, Reynolds .550 win percentage as a starter for Atlanta was better than that of every starting pitcher on the Houston staff who had more than one start and wasn't named Oswalt or Robertson.  Happy Birthday, indeed.

Happy Birthday - 3/26

No future Astros, only former Astros with birthdays today ~

RHP Shane Reynolds (44)
Drafted by the Astros in the 3rd round in 1989, Reynolds pitched for Houston from 1992 to 2002.  He had a 103-86 record over 274 appearances (248 starts) with an ERA of 3.95 and a WHIP of 1.292.  His best season was 1998 when he went 19-8 with a 3.51 ERA and a 1.329 WHIP.  In 1999 he led the National League in SO/BB ratio and sacrifice hits, and was finally given an All-Star nod in 2000.

IF Jose Vizcaino (44)
Vizcaino played in 18 seasons for 8 different teams, 5 of those for Houston from 2001 to 2005 where he batted .276/.316/.369 in 559 games.  He led the National League in fielding percentage and assists by a shortstop in 1995 for the Mets.  In 2000, he had the game-winning hit for the Yankees in Game 1 of the Subway World Series between the Yankees and the Mets.