The Houston Astros made their debut as The Houston Colt .45s on April 10, 1962 . On April 9, 1965 , they were next to the New York Mets in the first National League expansion. The team started playing at the Astrodome stadium, which was baseball's first indoor stadium on an artificial surface. The carpet laid on the floor of the Astrodome is still called Astroturf as a compliment. In 1969, Harry Walker ("The Hat") took over the administrative duties of the club. Under his reign the team strengthened and started playing winning baseball. In the weird, strike-shortened 1972 season the Astros finished in second place. Pitchers Don Wilson and Larry Dierker, Lee May, Doug Rader, Jimmy Wynn, Bob Watson and Cesar Cedeno led the team to the great finish. In the 1970s, the Astros had Cedeno at the center and J.R. Richard on the mound. During the 1980s, Nolan Ryan joined the Houston Astros as a free agent and helped them form a talented pitching staff. The team won a thrilling playoff beating the Dodgers for the Western League title but later lost to the Phillies in the NLCS. The pitching staff of the team was strong including Ryan, Joe Niekro, Bob Knepper, and Mike Scott. In 1986 the Houston Astros included some young talented players and won the second division title. Their opponents in the NLCS this year were the Mets. In the six game series they played, Astros battled to their final out before exiting the season. It is regarded as one of the most exciting playoff series in baseball history. The league played in a mediocre manner for the next 6-7 years. In 1994 new manager Terry Collins joined the club. He worked hard for the Astros but could not lead the team to finish in the NL Central three times from 1994-1997. Later the team hired broadcaster Larry Dierker in place of Collins. Larry Dierker was their former pitching ace of the early 1970s. Larry made the pitching staff strong and his firm approach inspired the team. With Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, and Derek Bell, Houston won three straight Central Division titles from 1997-1999. The following season they set a franchise record with 102 wins. In the year 2000, the Houston Astros debuted their new stadium, the Minute Maid Park . In 2001 the Astros won the team's fourth division title in five years, posting the best record in the National League. In 2002 and 2003, the team finished second in the NL Central. During the 2003 off-season, the Astros signed free agent pitchers Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens.