Officially known at first as Harris County Domed Stadium and unofficially as the Eighth Wonder of the World, Houston’s Astrodome took just under three years to construct and cost $35 million. Although it was finished in November 1964 it did not open its doors for its first sporting event until the start of the 1965 Major League Baseball season. Of historical interest is that the now-infamous AstroTurf that spread throughout the sports landscape was not yet installed in Houston. When the stadium opened the field was natural grass.
So it was in April 1965 that the Houston Astros, newly renamed from the Houston Colt .45s, opened a three-day preseason series with the New York Yankees on April 9. The Yankees came into town as the defending American League champions and were led offensively by the likes of Mickey Mantle, Joe Pepitone, and Elston Howard.
Here is the vibrant, eye-catching program cover from that game and series.
You might be asking why the Baltimore Orioles logo is on this program in addition to the Yankees one. That’s because while the April 9 game was Astros vs. Yankees, Houston played day-night doubleheaders with New York and Baltimore on the 10th and 11th. Out of the five games played in the series, Houston won three.
The Astros fared much less well in the 1965 regular season, finishing with a 65-97 record, good for 9th place in the National League. On the plus side, their regular season programs were almost as cool as this one.
