Bagwell joins exclusive list with six-walk game

Across his 15-year career with the Houston Astros, Jeff Bagwell helped transform the franchise.

The 22-year-old debuted in Houston with a team struggling to draw fans into an aging stadium, but by his retirement the Astros were near-regular postseason contenders with thousands cheering in a new ballpark.

And the all-time home run leader for the Astros wasn’t a stranger to record-breaking performances.

On Aug. 20, 1999, in a game that lasted 16 innings over five hours and 44 minutes, Florida Marlins pitchers walked Bagwell six times. In front of 19,845 fans at Pro Player Stadium, Bagwell became just the third player to draw six walks in one game – following the likes of Jimmie Foxx in 1938 and Andre Thornton in 1984.

The 31-year-old led his team to a 6-4 win over the Marlins in his record-tying game. Drawing six walks is not an easy feat – and statistically, drawing five or more walks is less common than hitting three home runs or throwing a no-hitter. In 2016, Bryce Harper became the fourth player to reach the mark.

Aside from his domination on the field, Bagwell is known for his impact on the Astros.

“In the 15 years you have played here, you have been the person that has lifted this franchise, and we thank you for that,” said Astros owner Drayton McLane to the Associated Press. “A lot of great things have occurred. We’ve had championships, we’ve gone to the World Series, and we got a new stadium. And Jeff Bagwell has been an integral part. And I have said for many years that Jeff has been really the heartbeat of the Houston Astros.”

Originally drafted by the Red Sox, the Boston native played all 15 of his major league seasons with the Astros – appearing in 2,150 games and recording 449 home runs. He was named National League Rookie of the Year in 1991 and National League MVP in 1994, the same year he won a Gold Glove Award. He was selected to four All-Star Games and earned three Silver Slugger Awards.

“That’s always been a big thing for me,” Bagwell told the Associated Press. “I feel very proud of the fact that I spent my entire career with this organization. And that was something that Craig (Biggio) and I both have talked about for years. That was something that was very important to us – to give the fans some identity of, at least you knew every single day that Biggio and Bagwell would be out on the right side of infield.”

Bagwell was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017.

Emma Harby was the 2024 public relations intern in the Frank and Peggy Steele Internship Program for Leadership Development