Plus, Altuve's legacy secure in team lore
Jets fly over Minute Maid Park on Opening Day 2019 |
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Hello! Welcome to the Astros Beat newsletter. Brian McTaggart has covered the Astros since 2004, and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow @brianmctaggart on Twitter.
There's nothing quite like Opening Day. The anticipation builds throughout the spring and reaches its peak when the teams are introduced along pristine baselines and the first pitch is thrown before a large crowd. The excitement of the first game is unparalleled and stirs emotions of Opening Days of years past. As someone who has followed the Astros for much of my life -- I went to my first Astros game around 1977 -- Opening Day still brings excitement. If my memory is correct, the first Opening Day I was able to attend was 1987, when the Astros were coming off that unforgettable 1986 season and expectations were high. The Astrodome was brimming with excitement on April 6, 1987. Jose Cruz homered off Orel Hershiser, Mike Scott pitched a gem and the Astros beat the rival Dodgers, 4-3. Opening Day in 2000 had a different kind of anticipation. The Astros were opening a new downtown ballpark -- then called Enron Field -- and it was the place to be. It still is, 22 years later. Still, the thrill about a new ballpark was nothing like the optimism of the 2004 season. The Astros had just signed Andy Pettitte and lured Roger Clemens out of retirement in advance of the most anticipated season of Houston baseball to date. And it didn't disappoint. There was a definite buzz when the Astros played their first game as members of the American League and beat the Rangers in 2013 -- and they haven't lost an Opening Day game since. Of course, the last few years -- the golden era of Astros baseball -- have been filled with Opening Day memories. If you're a fan, you can't beat seeing banners being unfurled and ring ceremonies. You've been spoiled. So, as we get ready for another Opening Day, embrace the excitement. Embrace the anticipation. Embrace baseball and the chance to witness this great game each day throughout the summer. There is a lot of baseball to be played in the next six months, but only one Opening Day. |
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IN THE NEWS The Astros have essentially set their Opening Day roster, which will be at 28 players when they face the Angels on Thursday in Anaheim. Major League Baseball allowed teams to expand rosters by two players, from 26 to 28, through May 1 so teams could carry extra pitchers coming off a shortened Spring Training. For the Astros, that was good news for relief pitchers Bryan Abreu, who makes his second consecutive Opening Day roster, and rookie Ronel Blanco. Blanco joins outfielder Jose Siri and shortstop prospect Jeremy Peña on the Opening Day roster for the first time, with Peña and Blanco awaiting their Major League debuts. The Astros also secured a deal with All-Star closer Ryan Pressly on Tuesday, keeping him in Houston for another two years. |
HOW TO WATCH THE ASTROS ON APPLE TV+ ON FRIDAY |
As you might have heard, the Astros-Angels game on Friday will air exclusively on Apple TV+. You can watch it for free on Apple TV+. All you need is an Apple ID. An FAQ with details on how to find the game can be found here. |
ALTUVE'S PLACE IN HISTORY SECURE AHEAD OF 11TH OPENING DAY One of the greatest pleasures of covering the Astros for nearly two decades has been getting to watch Jose Altuve play daily these past 10 years. This will be Altuve's 11th Opening Day in an Astros uniform, which trails only Craig Biggio (19) and Jeff Bagwell (15) for the most Opening Day starts in franchise history. And ultimately, those three names are going to go down as the greatest players in Astros history. "I'm not taking anything for granted," Altuve said. "I thank God every day that I put the uniform on. I feel very proud about that. It's never normal. It's always something amazing to be wearing a big league uniform. I don't want people to think I'm just relaxing and think this is normal. This is another Opening Day and I'm blessed to wear the Astros jersey, to be in the big leagues. I get kind of nervous every Spring Training and every Opening Day." |
DUSTY QUOTE OF THE WEEK "Better to get it later than not get it at all, you know what I mean?" -- Astros manager Dusty Baker on Blanco making his first Opening Day roster at 28 years old. |
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TRIVIA With Peña set to take over as the Astros' starting shortstop, who has started the most games on Opening Day at shortstop in franchise history? - A. Craig Reynolds
- B. Adam Everett
- C. Carlos Correa
- D. Roger Metzger
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April 4, 2000: Astros outfielder Richard Hidalgo launched a sixth-inning grand slam off Pirates starter Jason Schmidt to give the Astros a 5-0 lead in a 5-2 Opening Day win at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. Schmidt had walked Biggio, Bagwell and Moises Alou before Hidalgo tagged him for the first of his career-high 44 home runs that season. Hidalgo drove in all five of the Astros' runs en route to a 122-RBI season. |
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TRIVIA ANSWER D: Metzger started eight Opening Days at shortstop for the Astros from 1971-78. Reynolds (1979-82, '87), Everett (2002, '04-07) and Correa (2016-18, '20-21) each started five Opening Days at shortstop. |
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