Astros' 5,000 wins by the numbers

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ANAHEIM -- For the 5,000th time in franchise history on Sept. 20, the Astros walked off the field a winner. From the first pitch thrown in franchise history on April 10, 1962, by Bobby Shantz to the final pitch of a 5-3 win over the Angels thrown by Josh Hader, it’s been a benchmark 62 years in the making.

The Astros became the 18th team in history to reach 5,000 wins -- earlier this year, the Angels became the first expansion club to reach 5,000 wins -- and their path to the number has been distinctly their own. They’ve played in the National League and the American League, called three different ballparks home, won two World Series titles, produced two Hall of Famers and have seen 1,001 different players suit up.

The expansion Colt .45’s wound up losing 96 games in all three seasons of their existence before they were replaced in 1965 by the Astros, who took it a step further by losing 97 games that year. It wasn’t until 1972, when the Astros went 84-69, that there was winning baseball in Houston.

The franchise’s dark early years eventually gave way to playoff teams in the 1980s and 1990s and an NL pennant in 2005. But it wasn’t until 2006 that the Colt .45’s/Astros reached the breakeven point for their existence, posting an overall .500 record. The Astros spent a few days above .500 in May 2006 before plummeting again.

Three consecutive 100-loss seasons dropped the Houston franchise into baseball purgatory, but the rebuilding effort that took off in 2015 and culminated with a World Series championship in 2017 changed the arc of the franchise. The Astros are closing in on their seventh AL West division title in eight seasons.

The Astros were 5,000-4,960 after the milestone win, meaning they’ll both lose their 5,000th game next season and play in their 10,000th game all-time. For now, here’s 5,000 wins by the numbers:

First franchise win: April 10, 1962 (as Colt .45s), vs. Cubs (11-2)
First Astros win: April 14, 1965, at Mets (7-6)
First AL win: March 31, 2013 (4,000th all-time win), vs. Rangers (8-2)
Most wins a season: 107 in 2019
Longest winning streak: 12 games (June 6-18, 2018)
Largest margin of victory: 21 runs, Aug. 10, 2019, at Baltimore (23-2)
Largest comeback win: 11 runs, July 18, 1994, vs. St. Louis (Trailed 11-0 after 3rd inning and won, 15-12)
Record as Colt .45s (1962-64): 196-288
Record as Astros (1965-present): 4,804-4,672
Record in NL (1962-2012): 3,999-4,134
Record in AL (2013-present): 1,001-826
Record at Colt Stadium: 117-125
Record at Astrodome: 1,564-1,210
Record at Minute Maid Park: 1,082-877

Most wins against specific opponents:
1. Reds: 401
2. Cubs: 383
3. Giants: 354
4. Pirates: 346
5. Cardinals: 335

Most wins played in:
1. Craig Biggio: 1,478
2. Jeff Bagwell: 1,142
3. Jose Altuve: 952
4. Jose Cruz: 940
5. Lance Berkman: 828

Most games won by a manager:
1. Bill Virdon: 544
2. A.J. Hinch: 481
3. Larry Dierker: 435
4. Art Howe: 392
5. Harry Walker: 355