In this installment of Random random Astro, we're going all the way back to the first year of the franchise's history as we look at former Colt .45 Billy Goodman.
Billy was signed a month into Houston's inaugural season, 1962, after being released by the Chicago White Sox. He would be released by Houston after the season, ending his major league career. He hit .255/.306/.292 with Houston while playing first base, second base, and third base. Earlier in his career he was a perennial .300 hitter including winning a batting title with the Red Sox in 1950 when he hit .354 and finished second to Phil Rizzuto in MVP voting.
The highlight of his short time with Houston would be June 7th in a game against the Milwaukee Braves. Billy appeared as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the ninth with the score tied at two, two outs, and runners on first and second. Against reliever Hank Fischer, who had been brought in to face Goodman, Billy hit a game winning walk-off single scoring Al Spangler and bringing the young team's record to 23-30.
Following the 1962 season, Billy stayed with the organization as a player/manager for the 1962 and 1963 Durham Bulls and manager of the Cocoa Astros in 1964.
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
