Oswalt was selected by the Astros in the 1996 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut with the club in 2001 and finished with a win–loss record of 14–3. He was back-to-back 20-game winner in both 2004 and 2005. He helped the Astros to their first World Series appearance in 2005. He was named Most Valuable Player of the 2005 NLCS. When he left the Astros in 2010 his wins (143) and strikeout total (1,593) was second in franchise history to Joe Niekro (144) and Nolan Ryan (1,866). He is a three-time All-Star, selected from 2005 to 2007. As of the 2012 season his career strikeout total was in the top 100 all-time.

This Rawlings official MLB baseball has been signed in blue ballpoint pen by Oswalt and includes a JSA sticker.