Astros’ All-Time Best Seasons: Starting Pitchers

2005: Roy Oswalt

Apr 5, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; former Houston Astro Roy Oswalt is honored prior to the game against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Richardson-USA TODAY Sports

It’s hard to complete one of these slideshows of the Astros’ top five seasons at each position without including someone from the great 2005 season. You could argue that Roy Oswalt was the MVP of that team, even though he was on the same staff as Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte. Roy O pitched really well all season long and was virtually unhittable in the 2005 postseason run. Here are Oswalt’s stats from the 2005 World Series season:

• 20 Wins (3rd in NL)
• 2.94 ERA (7th in NL)
• 35 Games Started (1st in NL)
• 4 Complete Games (3rd in NL)
• 241.2 Innings Pitched (2nd in NL)
• National League All Star
• National League Championship Series Most Valuable Player
• 2-0 Record with a 1.29 ERA in 2005 NLCS
• Winning Pitcher in Game 6 of NLCS that sent the Astros to 1st World Series in Franchise History

While Roy Oswalt’s 2005 Regular Season might not have the same statistical value as the other candidates in this slideshow, his postseason numbers are what got him here. The Astros won seven games in that postseason, and Oswalt was the winning pitcher in three of them, including the most important one (which was pitched on the road). The only other Astros pitcher that can compare to his postseason numbers is Mike Scott, so that should make for an interesting race in the polls.

Plus, I personally felt obligated to put Oswalt in the top 5. The night that the Astros went to the World Series was one of the best nights of my life and I will never forget watching Roy O confuse St. Louis Cardinals hitters such as Albert Pujols, Jim Edmonds, and David Eckstein all night long.

Next: Vote: Best All-Time Season at SP