Houston Astros

Houston Astros
2017 Houston Astros season
Established in 1962
Team logo Cap insignia
Major league affiliations
American League (2013–present) West Division (2013–present) National League (1962–2012) Central Division (1994–2012) West Division (1969–1993)
Current uniform
Retired numbers	5 7 24 25 32 33 34 40 49 42
Colors
Navy blue, orange, white
Name
Houston Astros (1965–present) Houston Colt .45s (1962–1964)
Other nicknames
'Stros
Ballpark
Minute Maid Park (2000–present) a.k.a. Astros Field (2002) a.k.a. Enron Field (2000–2002) a.k.a. The Ballpark at Union Station (2000) Astrodome (1965–1999) a.k.a. Harris County Domed Stadium (1965) Colt Stadium (1962–1964)
Major league titles
World Series titles (0)	None
AL Pennants (0)	None
NL Pennants (1)	2005
AL West Division titles (0)	None
NL Central Division titles (4) NL West Division titles (2)	1997 1998 1999 2001 1980 1986
Wild card berths (3)	2004 2005 2015
The Astros also qualified for the postseason in the strike-split 1981 season, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS.
Front office
Owner(s)	Jim Crane
Manager	A. J. Hinch
General Manager	Jeff Luhnow
President of Baseball Operations	Reid Ryan

The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston, Texas. The Astros are members of the American League (AL) West division in Major League Baseball (MLB), having moved to the division in 2013 after spending their first 51 seasons in the National League (NL). The Astros have played their home games at Minute Maid Park since 2000.

The Astros were established as the Houston Colt .45s and entered the National League in 1962 with the expansion New York Mets. The current name—reflecting Houston's role as the control center of the U.S. space program—was adopted three years later, when they moved into the Astrodome, the world's first domed sports stadium.

The Astros played in the NL from 1962 to 2012. They played in the West division from 1969 to 1993, and the Central division from 1994 to 2012.

The Astros have played in one World Series (while a member of the National League) in 2005 against the Chicago White Sox, in which they were swept in four games.

From 1888 until 1961, Houston's professional baseball club was the minor league Houston Buffaloes. Although expansion from the National League eventually brought an MLB team to Texas in 1962, Houston officials had been making efforts to do so for years prior. There were four men chiefly responsible for bringing Major League Baseball to Houston: George Kirksey and Craig Cullinan, who had led a futile attempt to purchase the St. Louis Cardinals in 1952; R.E. "Bob" Smith, a prominent oilman and real estate magnate in Houston who was brought in for his financial resources; and Judge Roy Hofheinz, a former Mayor of Houston and Harris County Judge who was recruited for his salesmanship and political style. They formed the Houston Sports Association as their vehicle for attaining a big league franchise for the city of Houston.