Houston Sports - Roy Oswalt

Roy Oswalt

Born: August 29, 1977

Sport: Baseball (163-102 record, 3-time All-Star, NLCS MVP, NL Wins Leader, NL ERA Title, Gold medal)

The Houston Astros have developed a bit of a rivalry against the New York Yankees since joining the American League back in 2013, although it's been almost entirely one-sided in games that matter.  Most people who know the game are aware that the Yankees played the Astros in the first-ever exhibition game at the Astrodome on April 9, 1965, with the local team claiming a 2-1 victory.  They didn't play while in opposite leagues for several decades, but Houston has now knocked off their AL counterparts from the Big Apple in all four of their playoff meetings, meaning that in their first decade of playing in the same league the Astros had eliminated the Yankees more than any other team in history.  Today those two teams played the final game of a three-game series where the local nine managed to claim a victory to avoid being swept, but in an effort to remember a very noteworthy first series between the two clubs I wanted to shine the spotlight on an incredible player who helped make history way back in 2003.  In the first-ever interleague series between the two franchises, the Yankees may have taken two of the three games, but the one Houston win on June 11, 2003, was one for the record books.  In a game started by Roy Oswalt, a group of six Astros pitchers combined for the first no-hitter in the Bronx in 51 years.  Let's get to know a bit about "The Wizard" who quietly dominated Houston opponents for a decade.

The Astros downtown home during Oswalt's entire tenure with Houston

Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, Roy Oswalt was the youngest of three children raised by Billy Joe and Jean Oswalt.  Roy's dad was a Vietnam veteran and worked in the logging industry, while homemaker Jean was an avid baseball fan who taught her two sons and daughter to root for the Atlanta Braves.  When young Roy made it to high school while living in nearby Weir, MS, he could already throw 90 mph but the small town didn't even have a baseball program.  While playing defensive back and wide receiver for the Weir High School football team, his dad had to deliver an appeal to the school board trying to convince them to start a baseball team.  They agreed on one condition - Billy Joe had to clear the trees for a baseball field to be set up.  Young Roy was the star of the team and pitched nearly every game, but despite obvious skill his small frame and small school kept him from being recognized by college recruiters.  After a senior year in 1995 that saw Weir claim a state championship in football, Oswalt's only real option to continue pitching was to attend nearby Holmes Community College.  He did just that, playing the 1996 and 1997 seasons there.  A single professional scout saw him play during his first year and recognized his potential, and he alerted the Astros prior to the 1996 MLB Draft that he would be available, but also that they could afford to wait until a late round to select Oswalt due to his complete obscurity.  They almost waited too long - after selecting him with a pick in the 23rd round (the 684th player selected!) and then following his progress through his second successful college season, the Astros gave several SEC teams a chance to recruit the young man and Houston had to give Oswalt a $500,000 signing bonus in May 1997 to help convince him to pick pro ball over playing for the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

Once he signed his contract, Roy Oswalt started the long climb up the minor league ladder.  Coming from a tiny high school and an unknown community college, Oswalt knew he had much to learn and numerous hurdles to clear before reaching the major leagues.  Starting out in rookie ball for the 1997 season, he impressed quickly by only giving up a pair of earned runs in five starts before being promoted to a low-A team.  In 1998 he played for the same pair of teams before moving up to the system's A team for the 1999 season.  During the year, he had a disagreement with the team about pain in his shoulder when the team diagnosed him with tendonitis while Oswalt himself suspected a torn shoulder.  In a scene that sounds like it came from a movie, he inadvertently grabbed a spark plug while working on his truck, sending an electric shock through his body until he fell to the ground.  Oswalt immediately went inside where his high school sweetheart and future wife was, telling her he'd been shocked but no longer felt any pain in his arm.  No longer concerned about injury, he finished his season strong and moved up to high-A Kissimmee to start the 2000 season.  In addition to marrying Nicole, with whom he would have three daughters, he also got his chance to perform for decision-makers in the Astros system.  An injury to a player at AA Round Rock led to a promotion for Oswalt that was supposed to just be temporary.  The team was so sure he'd be returning to Florida, in fact, that they purchased a round-trip ticket.  After a startling performance where he struck out 15 batters, however, the manager tore up his ticket and the owner of the minor league team started lobbying for Oswalt to stick around.  That owner knew something about pitchers - it was Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan.  The young man not only got to play in front of his pitching idol but was also selected to represent his country on Team USA for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where he performed well in two starts en route to a gold medal.  After starting the 2001 season at AAA New Orleans, Oswalt finally got called up to the big league club and made his debut on May 6, 2001.

Roy Oswalt wasted no time making an impact on the major league club, logging a 14-3 record and 2.73 ERA in 28 games.  He was second in Rookie of the Year voting to Albert Pujols but also earned a top-5 finish in Cy Young voting.  Although Houston made it to the playoffs, Oswalt was unable to play due to a groin strain and the Astros were swept by his childhood favorite team, the Atlanta Braves.  In 2002 Oswalt continued to dominate, earning a 19-9 record and throwing an impressive 233 innings, which placed him fourth in Cy Young voting and even earned him attention in the MVP race.  After being exceptionally durable over his first two seasons, Oswalt had a few injury issues during his 2003 campaign.  He started that notable game against New York and got through the first three batters, but two pitches into the second inning he was removed with a groin pull.  Five other pitches came in to complete the no-hitter: Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos, Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel, and Billy Wagner.  It was a record number of pitchers to accomplish the feat, and although it has been matched since then it has never been beaten.  Oswalt finished with a 10-5 record in 2003, then bounced back in 2004 with a 20-10 season - his first 20-win campaign, and the only NL pitcher to reach that number for the year.  Although he had been overlooked for the All-Star team, he climbed up to a third-place Cy Young finish by season's end.  The Astros made the postseason and Oswalt had the opportunity to pitch in the playoffs for the first time, once again playing the Braves, where he won the decisive fifth game to help Houston to their first-ever playoff series victory.  In the NLCS the Astros were eventually defeated in seven games by the St. Louis Cardinals, but Oswalt had become a legitimate star on a pitching staff that included established veterans like Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.  The 2005 season was a banner year for Oswalt, as he earned his first All-Star nod and helped avenge the team against St. Louis as the Astros defeated both the Braves and the Cardinals on their way to the franchise's first NL Pennant and World Series appearance.  He was named the 2005 NLCS MVP in recognition of his two 7-inning, 1-run performances, including the clinching game 6.  Unfortunately, Houston was swept in the World Series by the Chicago White Sox, losing the four games by a total of six runs, and Oswalt would not return to the postseason with Houston after that point.

Although Roy Oswalt pitched well in both 2006 and 2007, the Astros began to rebuild after the exodus of aging stars Jeff Bagwell, Roger Clemens, and Andy Pettitte.  Oswalt was still at the top of his game, earning All-Star selections both seasons, but the team did not perform at the same level.  While he continued to climb the franchise record books, it soon became obvious that his talent was being wasted on a team that was not a contender.  After a 2009 campaign that was shortened by injury and saw a career-high ERA, Oswalt was no longer considered untouchable in trade conversations.  During the 2010 season he requested a trade to a contender and was sent to Philadelphia in exchange for pitcher J.A. Happ and a pair of minor leaguers - he was just one win shy of Joe Niekro's franchise record of 144 wins.  The change of scenery was a boon for Oswalt, who finished the year on a 7-1 kick and helped the Phillies to an appearance in the 2010 NLCS.  The following season, however, was his first time to post a losing record as he only managed to go 9-10 while missing time due to a back injury and family issues after a tornado destroyed their home.  The team, which also boasted pitchers Roy Halliday, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee, still made the playoffs in 2011 but were defeated in the first round.  Oswalt became a free agent and signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers for the 2012 season.  After making several minor league starts, he earned his way back to the major leagues but only started nine games before being demoted to the bullpen.  The 2013 season was his last in baseball, as he signed with the Colorado Rockies and went 0-6 with a disappointing 8.63 ERA before officially retiring in 2014, joining former teammate Lance Berkman in signing one-day contracts with the Astros to finish their careers.  He holds the highest mark in Astros history for pitcher Wins Above Replacement, and remains second all-time in franchise wins and strikeouts.  After his playing time concluded, Oswalt worked briefly for his former agent, RMG Baseball, and ultimately returned to Mississippi to run a pair of farms.  He was not given much consideration for induction into the MLB Hall of Fame, but he did earn induction into the Round Rock Express Hall of Fame (2016), Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame (2019), and Houston Astros Hall of Fame (2020).  In addition to being a regular visitor and contributor to the Astros organization, Oswalt now runs a steakhouse in Starkville, MS, called 44 Prime after his jersey number, and has his own bourbon label called Houston 44.

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