One of three players the Brewers sent to Houston when they acquired veteran pitcher Don Sutton for their 1982 pennant drive, Bass would go on to spend eight years with the Astros. The switch-hitter led the club in pinch-hits in 1983 and 1984 before winning the starting centerfield job in 1985, then moved to right field when the club acquired Billy Hatcher.
Bass had both power and speed, and was an NL All-Star in 1986 when he hit .311 with 20 HR and 22 stolen bases, helping the Astros to the NL West title. In the 1986 NLCS, Bass produced three two-hit games, but also recorded the final out of the series when he struck out against Mets reliever Jesse Orosco in the 16th inning of New York’s epic 7-6 win in Game Six.
After three more years in Houston, Bass signed with San Francisco as a free agent in November 1989. He never managed to re-establish the level of production that marked his best years in Houston, topping 400 at-bats just once over the final seven years of his career. After a brief stint in New York following an August 1992 trade to the Mets, Bass returned to Houston for two seasons before spending his final year in Baltimore.
