HOUSTON -- Prior to the first pitch of Thursday's Opening Day game against the Yankees, Astros manager Joe Espada glanced towards the stands and gave a wave to his parents, who had made the trip from their home in Dallas to Minute Maid Park. There was no way Espada's mother, Miriam, and father, Loly, were going to miss the biggest day of their son's career. "That was a big moment," Joe Espada said. Espada, hired by the Astros on Nov. 13 to replace the legendary Dusty Baker, cherished his first Opening Day as a manager -- a day that began when he ate breakfast with his wife and took his daughters to school and ended when he had dinner with his parents after a 5-4 loss to the Yankees. The results aren't what Espada had in mind, but this Opening Day was about more than that. "It was more than any other Opening Day," Espada said. "My family is in town, my parents are here, so I was able to catch up with them. … It's an emotional roller coaster, but I've been waiting for this day for a very long time. At the end of the day, it's about this game and getting these guys ready to play." Espada said Thursday's game was the first time his parents have been to Houston to see him, though they attended a game in Arlington last year. They returned home before Friday's game, but Espada plans to see them next weekend when the Astros are in Arlington to face the Rangers. "As you guys well know, my dad is not in good health," Espada said. "I'm excited he's here -- when I took the field for the anthem and I got to see him, that's special." |
Espada joked that his mother was going to second-guess every move he made in his managerial debut, and what good mother wouldn't have some advice for his son well into adulthood? Not this time. "She was mom," Espada said. "She was not being the front office." Pamela Espada, who married Joe in 2009 while he was the infield coordinator for the Marlins, gave up her job as a pharmacist to be a stay-at-home mom while Joe grinded through his career. The couple has two children, 12-year-old Eliana and nine-year-old Viviana, who were at the game Thursday, too. All in all, Espada said the day was everything he expected and anticipated while dreaming of being a manager, though his preparation was a bit different than his six years as bench coach in Houston. The only thing missing was a win. "I have decisions I have to make now [that] I know will impact the team in the present and the future," Espada said. "My conversations with the coaches are a little bit different now, but the people around me have made me feel like I'm ready for the season." |
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For the fourth consecutive season, the Astros have the most internationally born players on their Opening Day roster with 16. The Red Sox, Astros, Padres and Rays each have players from seven different countries and territories outside the U.S., tied for the most in the Major Leagues. In addition to relief pitcher Tayler Scott, a native of Johannesburg, who became the second South African-born player on an Opening Day roster in Major League history (Toronto's Gift Ngoepe in 2018), the Astros have players from the U.S., Dominican Republic, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba and Honduras. That includes players on inactive lists. League-wide, 264 players represented 19 different countries and territories outside the U.S. on Opening Day rosters and inactive lists. That marks the fourth-most all-time, behind only 2020 (291, with expanded 30-man active rosters); 2022 (275, with expanded 28-man active rosters); and 2023 (270, with 26-man active rosters). |
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Prior to this year, when was the last time the Astros were 0-2 to begin a season? A. 2011
B. 2015
C. 2018
D. 2021 |
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When relief pitcher Penn Murfee's name was announced during pregame introductions on Opening Day on Thursday, many Astros fans probably had no idea who he was. "The cheers were a little bit softer," he joked. The Astros had claimed Murfee off waivers from the Braves the day before, and the 29-year-old veteran flew to Houston early Thursday morning to join his new team. That capped a whirlwind offseason for Murfee, who was selected off waivers by the Mets from the Mariners in October and claimed by the Braves in November. The Braves released him March 25. "I remember when I first got [designated for assignment] back in November, my agent texted me and was like, 'Buckle your seatbelt,'" Murfee said. "I prayed and made sure that I was in a good spot spiritually, mentally and physically, and I was just ready for whatever." Murfee underwent surgery July 5 to repair the UCL in his right elbow, so he's probably a few months away from being able to help the Astros. He posted a 1.29 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 16 games with the Mariners in 2023, and has a 2.70 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 80 career games, all with Seattle. "I'm happy I don't have to face this lineup," Murfee said. "I know it's awesome. Everybody here has been super welcoming. It's a winning culture and you can tell there's a lot of gamers in this clubhouse. I feel welcomed and excited to be able to contribute." |
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A. 2011 The Astros started 0-2 in 2011 and went on to finish 56-106 in the NL Central. Houston won 10 consecutive games on Opening Day from 2013-22. |
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