ONCE IN A LIFETIME
Fred Faour: Astros opening day will be something truly special
Apr 2, 2018, 6:00 am
The Astros return to Minute Maid Park tonight. Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
Programming note: The Blitz will be broadcasting live today at 500 Crawford, right across the street from Minute Maid. Please stop by and say hello if you are in the neighborhood for the game.
Today will be a banner day -- pun intended -- for Houston sports fans. It is the home opener for the Astros, and while it is just one game out of 162, today will be special. It will be the first game at Minute Maid since the thrilling World Series win over the Dodgers. There will be other opening days. There will likely be more opening days after World Series titles. This team likely has one or two more in it if they can keep the band together.
But there will never be another opener like this one -- the first one after the first World Series win in franchise history. It will be a chance to relive the moment one last time.
It’s different, because this city has been a sports wasteland when it comes to titles. Sure, there have been Dynamo and Comets titles, and if you go back far enough (even before I was born), the Oilers won an AFL title. But even that was a secondary league at the time.
Among the big three, it’s been the Rockets winning back to back titles, and now the Astros. That’s it. There are those who claim the Rockets titles were tainted because Michael Jordan was on a hiatus, but they conveniently forget Jordan was back and playing at a high level the second title. His Bulls just weren’t good enough.
The Astros have no such false asterisks. They made their way through perhaps the three most famous franchises in baseball, and certainly the three with the biggest payrolls. They took out a solid Boston team, then knocked off the Yankees and a powerhouse Dodger team. They avoided the Indians -- perhaps the best team in the AL last season -- but then the Indians could not beat the Yankees.
So the Astros earned that title. And the scary thing? On paper, they look even better this season. The rotation will be stronger, with a full year of Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. Cole is the fourth starter. World Series hero Charlie Morton is the fifth starter. The bullpen looks better, too. And there is room for improvement with young hitters like Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman.
Morton will fittingly get the ball tonight.
Yes, the Astros have already opened the season. They are 3-1 after a series in Arlington against the lowly Rangers. MLB should have let the Astros open at home. But that’s OK. Tonight will be fun. Amazing, in fact.
No opening day ever again will be as meaningful.
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Oswald Peraza hit a two-run single in the ninth inning to help the Los Angeles Angels snap a three-game losing skid by beating the Houston Astros 4-1 on Saturday night.
Peraza entered the game as a defensive replacement in the seventh inning and hit a bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field that eluded the outstretched glove of Cam Smith. It was the fourth straight hit off Astros closer Bryan Abreu (3-4), who had not allowed a run in his previous 12 appearances.
The Angels third run of the ninth inning scored when Mike Trout walked with the bases loaded.
Kyle Hendricks allowed one run while scattering seven hits over six innings. He held the Astros to 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position, the one hit coming on Jesús Sánchez’s third-inning infield single that scored Jeremy Peña.
Reid Detmers worked around a leadoff walk to keep the Astros scoreless in the seventh, and José Fermin (3-2) retired the side in order in the eighth before Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth to earn his 24th save.
Houston’s Spencer Arrighetti struck out a season-high eight batters over 6 1/3 innings. The only hit he allowed was Zach Neto’s third-inning solo home run.
Yordan Alvarez had two hits for the Astros, who remained three games ahead of Seattle for first place in the AL West.
Key moment
Peraza’s two-run single to deep right field that broke a 1-1 tie in the ninth.
Key Stat
Opponents were 5 for 44 against Abreu in August before he allowed four straight hits in the ninth.
Up next
Astros RHP Hunter Brown (10-6, 2.37 ERA) faces RHP José Soriano (9-9, 3.85) when the series continues Sunday.