Alan Ashby
A durable, switch-hitting catcher who became a defensive anchor for the Houston Astros during their competitive rise in the 1980s.
Born 1951 (age 75)·American baseball player·Birthday: July 8·Baby Boomers
Biography
Alan Ashby built a long major league career not on flashy statistics, but on reliability, intelligence, and a switch-hitter's versatility. After early stints with Cleveland and Toronto, he found his home in Houston, where he became the steady hand behind the plate for a pitching-rich Astros team contending for pennants. Ashby was a catcher's catcher—prized for his game-calling, his ability to handle a staff featuring Nolan Ryan and Mike Scott, and his knack for timely hitting from either side of the plate. He was a central figure in the memorable 1986 National League Championship Series, catching every inning of the epic 16-inning Game 6. When his playing days ended, he smoothly transitioned into a decades-long broadcasting career, using his insider's knowledge to narrate the game for a new generation of Astros fans.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Alan was born in 1951, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1951
#1 Movie
Quo Vadis
Best Picture
An American in Paris
#1 TV Show
Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts
Alan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1951Born
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1956Started school
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1964Became a teenager
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Could drive
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1969Could vote
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Turned 21
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1981Turned 30
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 40
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 50
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 60
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2021Turned 70
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 75 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Caught a combined no-hitter for the Houston Astros in 1979, catching pitchers Ken Forsch and Joe Sambito.
- Was the primary catcher for Nolan Ryan during the pitcher's first two seasons with the Houston Astros.
- Played in the 1986 NLCS with the Astros, catching all 16 innings of the classic Game 6 against the New York Mets.
- Logged over 1,300 career hits as a switch-hitter over 17 major league seasons.
Did You Know?
He was traded from the Toronto Blue Jays to the Houston Astros for pitcher Mark Lemongello.
Ashby hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to win Game 2 of the 1980 NLCS for the Astros.
After retiring, he served as a radio and television broadcaster for the Astros for over 20 years.
He was drafted as a third baseman before converting to catcher in the minor leagues.
“A catcher's value is in the trust of the man on the mound.”
