This Date in Baseball History: December 1

On this date in 1964, the Houston Colt 45s became the Astros. The club used their original name for their first two seasons (they joined the NL along with the Mets in '62) and changed it when the Colt Firearms Company objected to the sale of team merchandise bearing the trademark. Following the name change, Harris County Domed Stadium became the Astrodome.

And in 1971 the Cubs released hall of Famer Ernie Banks and signed him as a coach. In 19 seasons with the Cubs, Banks batted .274 with 512 home runs and 1636 RBIs.

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