Houston Astros: Top 30 players in franchise history

11. Larry Dierker, P/M, 1964 – 1976, 1997 – 2001

Larry Dierker was a major bright spot for the Houston Astros when there weren’t many other reasons to visit the Astrodome. When the team was average, Dierker was excellent. He had a career 3.28 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP.

One of the most incredible stats about Dierker is undoubtedly inflated by the Astrodome but is still impressive nonetheless. He only allowed 177 home runs in 2,294.1 innings. He was a core player that allowed the Astros to take the next step as a franchise. He was also an Astros icon for about 4 decades as a player, announcer, and manager.

One of the most iconic things about Dierker is that he signed out of high school in May of 1964. He made his debut four months later in September of 1964 on his 18th birthday. He surrendered two runs in 2.2 innings while striking out three batters. He ended that season with 8.2 innings pitched, five strikeouts, and a 2.08 ERA.

Dierker was 100% dedicated to Houston. After his playing was over, he spent the next two or so decades as a broadcaster and manager and was a constant presence at games for a long, long time, often in his legendary Hawaiian shirts when he wasn’t managing.