Wallace, who was announced as the club's new pitching coach Tuesday morning, has a wealth of knowledge as a longtime pitching coach on both the Major and Minor League levels, as well as a somewhat lengthy stint in a front-office capacity.

Most recently, the 59-year-old was let go by the Red Sox following the 2006 season, and he's found a new start with the Astros, who ended their six-week long search for a new pitching coach after opting to part ways with Jim Hickey.

Wallace spent the last four seasons as the pitching coach for the Red Sox -- including the 2004 season, during which Boston won the World Series. Prior to his tenure with the Red Sox, Wallace also served as the pitching coach for the Dodgers from 1995-97 and the Mets in 2000, the year they won the National League pennant.

Wallace has worked with pitchers young and old, from Cy Young winners to rookies, and that balance was a strong selling point for the Astros.

"I've known Dave over the years on more of a casual basis, never worked with him, but I heard really good things about him from people I knew at the Mets, the Dodgers and Boston," general manager Tim Purpura said. "He had kind of the right combination of background and skills. He'd been through player development as a pitching coach and a pitching coordinator.

"He's done a lot of things that I feel are important for success at the Major League level, and obviously he's been a pitching coach for playoff teams, World Series teams, so I'm looking forward to having him on board to help us finish off some of our good, young pitchers."

The Astros have employed a rather balanced pitching staff in the last few years, top-heavy with superstars Roger Clemens, Andy Pettitte and Roy Oswalt, while also attempting to wean youngsters such as Taylor Buchholz, Matt Albers, Fernando Nieve and Wandy Rodriguez.

The Astros would like to see the latter group make more progress in the near future, which probably led to their decision to make a coaching change soon after the season ended.

Wallace acknowledged he's got quite a bit of homework ahead of him as he familiarizes himself with his new club, which is known for its pitching-rich system but also could be in dire straits should Clemens and Pettitte retire.

"Pitching is a real important key to the success of any team," Wallace said. "The people they have in the organization sound like a good, core group of pitching people. I look forward to learning and helping out and being part of a good team."

Among Wallace's projects is Brad Lidge, who struggled in 2006 and twice lost his closer's job.

"I don't know Brad yet," Wallace said. "One of the things that is really important is to get to know the individuals and establish a relationship, and check with [former coaches] who had him over the years; talk with the individual players and see what they need to do."

Prior to taking on his first big-league job, Wallace paid his dues in the Minors. He served as the Minor League pitching coach in the Dodgers organization for 14 seasons from 1981-94, including stints with Class A Vero Beach (1981-82), Double-A San Antonio (1983), Triple-A Albuquerque (1984-86), and as the organization's Minor League pitching instructor from 1987-94.

Wallace also spent several seasons in the front office with the Dodgers, including serving as interim general manager from April through October of 2001. He also served as a special assistant to the general manager in the offseason of 2000 and as the senior vice president of baseball operations during the 2002 season.

His new job is also somewhat of a new beginning. Wallace had quite a health scare last year on his way to the Red Sox's Spring Training facility in Fort Myers, Fla. He developed a life-threatening infection in his hip, which had been replaced more than a decade earlier.

He had that hip removed and eventually replaced, which forced him to miss Spring Training and the first four months of the regular season. He returned to the Red Sox as pitching coach on Aug. 9.

After he was let go by the Red Sox, he and his wife, Joyce, discussed what he may want to do in the immediate future.

"Physically, I had a pretty tough time and wanted to take some time to heal," Wallace said. "We were in the mindset that we would see what the landscape was like."

That's when Purpura called, setting the wheels in motion for Wallace to join his fourth Major League club.

"I've been very fortunate to have had several positions over the years," said Wallace, who lives near Vero Beach, Fla. "At this time of my life, I particularly enjoy interaction of players, being around them.

"I am excited to join an organization that has such a strong winning tradition. The Astros have always had a high standard for pitching, and I look forward to working with such a talented group."