The Houston Astros have a rich history when it comes to pitching. To be specific, relief pitching is always something that franchise hasn’t lacked.
There seems to be something in the water down in Houston because the franchise is notorious for putting amazing talent on the field to get the save in clutch situations. The all-time list at the relief pitcher position is lettered with former Astros’ starts.
Here are the top 12 closers in Houston Astros history:
12. LaTroy Hawkins
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LaTroy Hawkins was an absolutely amazing pick up by the Astros as he was a great relief pitcher, but more importantly a very impressive closer when Jose Valverde was injured.
In 2009, Hawkins had to step in and close in place of Valverde and posted 11 saves with a great 2.13 ERA. It’s an extremely small sample size, but the performance allowed Hawkins to rejuvenate his career and give the Astros a very important boost to boot.
11. Dan Wheeler
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Dan Wheeler spent four seasons with the Astros after being traded to Houston via the New York Mets. The Astros acquired Wheeler for a minor leaguer, and it’s safe to say Houston won that trade.
Wheeler only spent a short amount of time as an official closer while Brad Lidge was injured, but it’s his entire body of work for Houston that is most impressive. He racked up 23 saves, but most importantly recorded the final out in the 2005 National League Championship Series, which led to the Astros first ever World Series appearance.
10. Frank DiPino
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Frank DiPino spent five years with the Houston Astros in various roles, and sometimes filled in as the closer. His performance in that time span was good enough to land him in the franchise record books.
DiPino had 43 saves in his five-year stint with the Astros, and that’s good enough for ninth all time in franchise history. He also struck out 233 batters in 291 innings pitched. He moved on to the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals but never came close to his production that he had in Houston.
9. Octavio Dotel
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Octavio Dotel was a starting pitcher when he arrived in Houston, but Astros’ management saw a much better role for him and converted him to closer.
The move paid off. In five years, Dotel recorded 42 saves, good for 10th all time in Astros history. He struck out 552 batters in 449 innings pitched. Dotel filled in when other closers were injured and was a critical part of a very good Houston bullpen in the early 2000s.
8. Ken Forsch
Ken Forsch pitched for the Houston Astros for 11 seasons, but only closed for two seasons. With that being said, his overall body of work was too impressive to simply leave off this list.
During his time with the club, Forsch racked up 50 saves and a most impressive 815 strikeouts. His ERA was a pristine 3.18, and that’s good enough to be remembered all time when it comes to franchise history.
7. Fred Gladding
Fred Gladding spent six years with the Houston Astros, and they were very productive years. Gladding had the honor of being a closer in 1969 when the MLB finally recognized saves as an official stat â€" and he made the most of the opportunity.
In 1969, Gladding had a career-high 29 saves, a massive number that helped push his total with Houston to 76 â€" which is good for fourth all time in club history.
6. Doug Jones
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Doug Jones had an illustrious, lengthy career with over 300 career saves in the books. With that being said, Jones only spent two years in Houston, but his limited time with the Astros was still good enough to make this list.
In two years, Jones amassed 62 saves with a 3.02 ERA. He struck out 159 in that short time span as well.
The damage Jones did to opponents was massive in his short time in Houston, and one has to wonder how far up this list he could have climbed had he stayed longer.
5. Jose Valverde
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Jose Valverde joined the Astros via trade in 2007 and had a very productive two years with the club. He eventually opted for free agency, but while he was with the club he made opponents look silly in critical situations.
In his two years with Houston, Valverde had 69 saves and 139 strikeouts in 126 innings pitched. Given such a small sample size with the team Valverde was easily able to move into sixth place for saves all time in Astros history with 69.
He’s also first in club history for saves recorded in a season with 44.
4. Joe Sambito
Joe Sambito was the definition of dominant during his eight years with the Houston Astros, and his impressive numbers hardly do his level of domination justice.
Sambito recorded 72 saves during his tenure with the Astros, good for fifth in club history. His best year was 1979, which saw Sambito rack up 22 saves with only a 1.78 ERA.
In 1982, it was discovered he had damaged ligaments in his elbow, which required the infamous Tommy John Surgery. His career was derailed thanks to the injury, but not before he left his mark in Astros history.
3. Brad Lidge
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What is there to say about Brad Lidge that hasn’t already been said numerous times? During his six years with Houston he recorded 123 saves. In 2005, Lidge had the third most saves in Astros history in a single season when he had 42.
It doesn’t hurt to mention Lidge struck out 561 batters in his six years in Houston. Lidge may be pitching for the Washington Nationals now, but he will forever remain one of the all-time greats in Houston Astros history.
2. Dave Smith
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Dave Smith is one of the best closers in Houston Astros history. His 11 seasons with the club were truly remarkable, and the franchise record books reflect that.
Smith had 199 saves during his time in Houston, and that’s good for second in club history. His single-season best for saves came in at 33. He struck out 529 batters in that span and made two All-Star appearances.
1. Billy Wagner
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Billy Wagner is far and away the best closer in Astros’ history, and it’s not really up for debate. His numbers are proof enough, not much else needs to be said.
Wagner spent nine years in Houston, which saw him rack up a jaw-dropping 225 saves â€" good for first in club history. He also struck out 694 batters in only 504 innings pitched. His ERA was pretty good too at 2.53.
Wagner left the club via trade, but that shouldn’t hurt his legacy. He was the most dominant closer the club has ever seen, and that may never change.
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