The lights dim, fans pull out their cell phone flashlights in unison and the haunting words of Johnny Cash bellow from the speakers at Minute Maid Park. "You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Run on for a long time
Sooner or later, God'll cut you down" Astros closer Ryan Pressly emerges from the bullpen and heads toward the mound in the top of the ninth inning, looking to close out another game while Cash's "God's Gonna Cut You Down" plays. Pressly's entrance is one of the best in baseball for a closer, and he had the ultimate moment in 2022, when he entered Game 6 of the World Series and slammed the door to win a championship. Pressly recently answered a few questions about his intro: Q: How did you pick that song? A: "I used to come out to Garth Brooks' 'Friends in Low Places' and stuff like that, but I always thought that song was pretty cool. When I was a rookie, I saw Glen Perkins walking out to it, and it's just a really cool song I always enjoyed and I was like, 'You know what? I'll use that one.'" Q: What appealed to you about the song? A: "I think it's just the beginning of it. If they time it up right, it sounds really good when you come out of the bullpen. I don't know, it's one of those things that gets you kind of jacked up a little bit." |
Q: What do you think about the way [closer entrances have] evolved, with the ballpark lights going down and everyone turning on their camera flashlights? A: "It obviously started with Mariano Rivera and all those guys, and I think now with the new technology, they can make the lights flicker and stuff like that. A lot more teams are doing it. It's the ninth inning, you pump the crowd up and get everybody excited. The [ballpark entertainment people] staff, it gave them a little bit more freedom to do what they wanted. I don't know where the flashing [cell phone] lights came from. I think the guy in the train did it, and everybody started following him." Q: When did the dimming of the ballpark lights start? A: "It just evolved into that. Everybody around the league was getting some lights flickering on and off and I said, 'Hey man, when do I get some of that stuff?' Sure enough, they brought it out in the postseason, which was one of the most nerve-wracking things in the world. I thought, 'If I blow a save, we're going to have to get rid of these lights.' It's cool, man. It's turned into something I think a lot of people really enjoy." Q: What other closer entrances have you've seen over the years that you remember the most? A: "Obviously, Aroldis Chapman. When you were in New York, he's eight-feet tall, throws 150 mph [and] flames pop up on the board. I think that's pretty cool. Joe Nathan's was pretty good. Grant Balfour with Oakland. It was some rock song, and he's a crazy guy in general, and it fit in perfectly with all the fans out there. You get a good song that resonates with fans, and you enter a game with it, it takes off when people [start] hearing it." |
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The Astros announced Thursday that AT&T SportsNet will televise 15 games in Spanish this season, with the first Los Astros on AT&T broadcast set for May 21 when Houston plays the A's at Minute Maid Park. Los Astros Spanish broadcasts will air on AT&T SportsNet's alternate channel for all Sunday home games for the remainder of the season. AT&T SportsNet will also televise in Spanish all home games during Hispanic Heritage Month, beginning Sept. 18. The 2023 Los Astros broadcast team is Enrique Vasquez, Danny Gonzales and Gene Flores. Vasquez served as Spanish play-by-play/commentator on some Astros radio broadcasts in 2007 and was a senior producer for Astros live Spanish-language TV game broadcasts in 2008. He has over 31 seasons of sports broadcasting experience. Gonzales was the official Spanish play-by-play announcer for the team in 1994-95. He was also the sports director for Telemundo Houston for seven years and served as the anchor on the first national weekday Spanish sports show, "Deportes Byline USA," in 1996. Flores pitched in the Red Sox organization for one year before returning to Houston, where he's been the coach at Clear Brook High School for the last 13 seasons. He played at the University of Houston from 2000-05, helping the Cougars reach a pair of super regional berths. |
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THIS WEEK IN ASTROS HISTORY |
May 15, 2005: Morgan Ensberg clubbed three homers in Houston's 9-0 win over the Giants at Minute Maid Park. The third baseman, who was later named an All-Star, went 4-for-4 with five RBIs, becoming the fourth Astros player to record at least 13 total bases in a game (Yordan Alvarez has since become the fifth). There have been 11 Astros players to club three homers in a game, including Jeff Bagwell (three times) and Alvarez and Glenn Davis (twice). Jose Altuve is the only one to do it in a playoff game (2017 AL Division Series against the Red Sox). Alvarez was the last to do it: Sept. 16, 2022, vs. Oakland. |
The Astros will join the rest of Major League Baseball in teaming up with Susan G. Komen, the world's leading breast cancer organization, to honor moms and offer support to those who face breast cancer. A special Mother's Day tribute video will be shared in MLB ballparks and on MLB.com, club sites, MLBCommunity.org., and social media channels as a part of Komen's "A Moment with Mom" campaign. The video will feature MLB players with their moms, including Astros Chas McCormick and Altuve. Each team will wear one-of-a-kind caps that feature pink club logos, with matching socks available. On-field personnel may wear pink wristbands and the special breast cancer pink MLB-silhouetted batter decals. Major League players may continue to use pink bats, as well as other cause-inspired equipment. |
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