2B Doran, broadcaster Brown inducted into Astros Hall of Fame

HOUSTON -- Former Astros second baseman Bill Doran and longtime Astros broadcaster Bill Brown slipped on tailored orange jackets and took their place in club history on Saturday as the newest members of the Astros Hall of Fame. Considering Doran was one of the first people Brown met when he got to Houston in 1987, it was an apropos moment.

“I had followed him through the playoffs in ‘86 and he was right there at the peak of his career, but then when you get to meet somebody as a person and you understand what a stand-up guy he was,” Brown said of Doran. “That is what sticks with me.”

The Hall of Fame plaques of Doran and Brown will be installed in Hall of Fame Alley on the left-center-field concourse at Minute Maid Park. The Class of 2023 joins 24 previous members of the Hall of Fame, with Doran becoming the 21st player in the Hall.

Doran was a steady, dependable, and popular player for the Astros for nine seasons and was named the team’s MVP in 1985 and 1987. Drafted by the Astros in the sixth round in 1979 out of the University of Miami (Ohio), he wound up playing 12 seasons in the Majors and was a lifetime .266 hitter with 84 homers, 497 RBIs, and 209 stolen bases.

“It was ideal to play here,” Doran said. “I’ve seen players that are traded for one organization to another and when they get traded to Houston, I go, ‘That’s a lucky guy.’”

When he got called up to Houston in 1982, Doran said veteran Phil Garner had to move from second base to third base, and veteran Ray Knight had to move from third base to first base. So when an up-and-coming player catcher named Craig Biggio was making a move to second base a decade later, Doran showed him the way.

“Those guys opened their arms and took me in and it didn’t have to be like that,” Doran said. “You know what, they could have gone the other direction. I learned right away that this is the way it’s supposed to be. … I’m just very thankful.”

Doran, a switch-hitter, was called up on Sept. 6, 1982, to take over at second base and started 991 games at the position over the next seven seasons, including all 162 games in 1987. In helping the Astros win the NL West in 1986, he hit .276 with a .368 on-base percentage with 37 RBIs and 42 stolen bases as the team’s leadoff hitter. He slugged a two-run home run against the Mets in Game 3 of the 1986 NLCS.

“Billy Doran was one of the most underrated players in baseball,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “This guy could do everything, and he was smooth about it. He didn’t clown, he didn’t showboat, he just did the job. I think a lot of teams would have yearned to have Billy Doran on their team because this guy knew how to play, and he’s cool about it. He’d beat you with his legs, his glove, his bat. He was a ballplayer.”

Brown served as the primary television voice of the Astros from 1987-2016. In that span, he became one of the most well-respected broadcasters in baseball. His professionalism and knowledge of the game, along with his powerful voice and relentless preparation, made him one of the top play-by-play men of his generation.

“Moments like this give you a little more clarity when you’re a little bit later in life, shall we say, and I think you do appreciate it a little bit more,” Brown said.

Along the way, he called Biggio's 3,000th hit, Jeff Bagwell's 400th home run, two no-hitters, including the historic, six-pitcher no-hitter at Yankee Stadium in 2003, and the final game at the Astrodome. He also was behind the microphone several times for final outs of division-clinching and postseason-clinching victories.

“I think Craig’s 3,000th because of all the national notoriety it received,” said Brown, when asked what his favorite call was from the booth. “You’re talking about a 20-year process, which I was fortunate to be here that entire time in his career, and for Baggy, too. That was a special memory.”

Brown has previously been inducted into the Texas Baseball Hall of Fame, the Astros Media Wall of Honor, received the National Sportscasters Association Texas Sportscaster of the Year Award and the Fred Hartman Award for Long and Meritorious Service, which is given out annually by the Houston chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America.