FANS IN THE STANDS
Here's what the gameday experience will look like this season for Texans fans
Sep 29, 2020, 9:29 am
Fans can finally attend Texans games in person! Photo via: NRG Park/Facebook
3) NRG Stadium/Texans
The Houston Texans will have 13,300 real-life human fans in the stands - about 20-percent of NRG Stadium's usual capacity – when they tackle the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday.
The decision to allow a limited number of fans in the stadium was reached by city, county and state officials with input from the National Football League.
"The health and safety of our fans, our staff, our team and our community have been and will remain our priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic," Texans president Jamey Rootes said in a statement.
"We look forward to welcoming our home-field advantage back and resuming our cherished Texans game day traditions. We have been working tirelessly to make changes and implement protocols at NRG Stadium to ensure a safe environment."
Here are the nuts and bolts of the seven Texans home games remaining on the schedule:
Season ticket holders who did not defer for the 2020 season will have first crack at purchasing tickets. If any tickets are left over, they will go on sale at noon today (Tuesday) at Ticketmaster.com. No tickets will be sold at the NRG Stadium box office.
There will be no tailgating permitted in NRG Stadium parking lots during the 2020 season.
Fans will be instructed to stand at least six feet apart from the time they park their cars to when they take their seats inside the stadium. Fans must stand six feet apart, even when they visit concession stands and restrooms.
Important: all fans, 10 years and older, must wear a face mask at all times, except when they are eating or drinking. A full array of concession stands will be open, including Ronnie Killen's world-famous barbecue ribs and sandwiches. Chris Shepherd's Underbelly Hospitality will offer bacon sausage hot dogs with pimento cheese, tater tot casserole and wagyu nachos.
There will be 475 hand sanitizing stations throughout the stadium, and frequent mentions on the scoreboard to use them.
Concessions will be payable by credit or debit card only. All purchases will be handled by cashless transaction.
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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.