Original Colt .45 Woodeshick passes: Reliever was with the club in '65 when it became the Astros

MLB.com 6/15/09

In the past several years, the Astros family has lost quite a few stars from past generations, and sadly, on Sunday, it lost one of its founding fathers. Left-hander Hal Woodeshick, a member of the original Colt .45s, passed away at the age of 76 after a lengthy illness.

Woodeshick not only was a member of Houston's very first Major League team, he was also with the club when it became the Astros and moved into the Astrodome in 1965. He pitched 3 1/2 years with Houston as part of an 11-year Major League career, during which he compiled a 44-62 record and a 3.56 ERA over 427 games (62 starts).

Woodeshick, considered Houston's first real closer, made one All-Star appearance in 1963, his second season with the Colt .45s. He was 11-9 with a 1.97 ERA over 55 relief appearances that year, and he logged 10 saves.

The next season, Woodeshick recorded a career-high 23 saves while compiling a 2.76 ERA. He was traded to the Cardinals in the middle of the 1965 season and made his only World Series appearance in 1967 with St. Louis, pitching one inning in relief against the Red Sox.

Woodeshick made his Major League debut with the Tigers on Sept. 14, 1956. He pitched for Detroit, Cleveland, Washington, Houston and St. Louis before retiring following the '67 season.