Berkman, Oswalt to retire as Astros on April 5

Houston, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Lance Berkman and Roy Oswalt will sign one- day contracts and retire as Astros on April 5.

The team will celebrate the outstanding careers of Berkman and Oswalt with a special pregame ceremony prior to the game against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

The ceremony will include retirement gifts and several of Berkman and Oswalt's former teammates and family members, the team said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We are honored to celebrate the careers of Lance and Roy, two of the best players in Astros history," said president of business operations Reid Ryan. "Both were elite players and among the best of their era, and both played extremely significant roles in the most successful run in Astros history.

"Lance and Roy were also very popular with our fans and were outstanding representatives of the Astros organization. On April 5, our fans will have the opportunity to celebrate their great careers with us."

Berkman spent 12 of his 15 seasons in an Astros uniform. He played with Texas in 2013, hitting just .242 with six home runs, 10 doubles and 34 RBI in 73 games.

Selected by Houston in the first round (16th overall) of the 1997 amateur draft, Berkman made his MLB debut in 1999 with the Astros, participating in 34 games and batting .237. He went on to lead the majors in doubles with 55 in 2001, then topped the NL with 128 RBI in 2002 and claimed the league doubles title in 2008 with 46 two-baggers.

The six-time All-Star and Texas native finished his career with 366 home runs and 1,234 RBI in 1,879 games with the Astros, Yankees, Cardinals and Rangers.

"I'm really looking forward to the this," Berkman said. "It's great to come back to Houston full circle. I've always considered myself an Astro and a Houstonian. I'm very proud to have played on some great Astros teams and proud to have played in what was probably the best era in franchise history. It is very appropriate to retire as an Astro."

Oswalt broke into the majors with the Astros in 2001, racking up a 14-3 record with a 2.73 ERA. He stayed with Houston until 2010, when he was traded midseason to the Philadelphia Phillies.

Oswalt then spent 2011 in Philadelphia before stints with the Rangers and Rockies to finish out his career.

He accumulated a career record of 163-102 with a 3.36 ERA in 365 games (341 starts). The three-time All-Star led the National League with 20 wins in 2004 and led the majors with a 2.98 ERA in 2006.

"To come back and retire as an Astro means a lot to me," Oswalt said. "I came up with the Astros organization and played on some great teams. Playing in the World Series in 2005 was the highlight of my big league career. I have a lot great memories from my years with the Astros."