PASSING THE TORCH
As Texans honor Johnson, his replacement - DeAndre Hopkins - shows he is pretty good, too
Nov 19, 2017, 3:16 pm
DeAndre Hopkins is a fitting replacement for Andre Johnson. Houston Texans
The Texans honored their greatest receiver on Sunday by inducting Andre Johnson into the Hall of Honor.
After watching that, their current franchise receiver went out and did his best Johnson impression in the second half. DeAndre Hopkins would finish with four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in the Texans 31-21 win over the Cardinals.
The Texans moved to 4-6 on the season with the win, ending a three-game losing streak, but even after Sunday’s result, it seems destined to end as many of Johnson’s did.
Hopkins and to a lesser extent Lamar Miller are the last men standing on the offense, as injuries have taken away Deshaun Watson, William Fuller for much of the season and now D’Onta Foreman.
Hopkins is one of the lone bright spots left in what has been a season of disappointment and critical injuries. After Sunday, he has 62 catches for 879 yards and 9 TDs -- matching Johnson’s career high.
In his career, he is closing in on his third 1,000-yard season in five years in the league. He had 802 as a rookie, and 954 last season, when he often played poorly, did not battle for balls and looked lethargic at times.
This season he has been anything but.
He has fought for balls, made amazing catches, played defense when poor passes could have been intercepted. He has been physical -- often getting called for pass interference, but fighting for every inch. He has been a bright spot in what has become a lost season.
It was fitting that Johnson was honored, because Hopkins came to play on Sunday, with another strong effort, this one coming primarily against the Cardinals’ stud corner, Patrick Peterson. It was another highlight game in what is becoming a strong 2017.
Unfortunately, like many of Johnson’s great seasons, it is likely being wasted. But on Sunday, he played a lot like his predecessor.
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Yordan Alvarez’s long home run backed a solid start by Hunter Brown as the Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 on Sunday in the series finale to avoid being swept.
YORDADDY WITH A 3 RUN HOMER!#BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/yKg2avqMmC
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2025
Alvarez snapped Houston’s 26-inning scoreless streak, crushing Kris Bubic’s sinker 436 feet to center for a three-run homer and a 3-0 Astros lead in the third inning.
Brown (4-1), who allowed one run on seven hits and a walk with nine strikeouts over six innings, surrendered a lone hit in each of the first four innings but struck out seven while not allowing a runner past second.
Brown’s 28-inning shutout streak – fifth longest in franchise history – ended in the fifth inning on a two-out single by Jonathan India and an RBI double by Bobby Witt Jr.
Leading off the fifth, Chas McCormick doubled and scored on Jeremy Peña’s single. McCormick had three hits and scored three runs for the Astros.
Peña’s two-out, two-run double in the sixth extended Houston’s lead to 6-1. Peña collected three RBIs in his first game batting leadoff.
La Tormenta is here. #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/EVE7XmXGQA
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2025
Yainer Diaz added a solo home run in the seventh.
Yainer goes yard! #BuiltForThis pic.twitter.com/KdrFMPcKpq
— Houston Astros (@astros) April 27, 2025
Bubic (2-2) allowed four runs on five hits and three walks, striking out four in five innings.
India had a pair of singles and drove in a run while Witt extended his hitting streak to a career-best 19 games.
Key moment
Isaac Paredes drew a four-pitch walk ahead of Alvarez’s three-run blast.
Key stat
Alvarez, who led left-handed major leaguers with a .362 average against left-handed pitchers in 2024, hit his first homer of this season against a left-hander.
Up next
The Astros open a three-game homestand Monday against Detroit with Tigers RHP Jack Flaherty (1-2, 2.63 ERA) opposing RHP Ronel Blanco (2-2, 5.01).
Tuesday, the Royals begin a three-game series against the Rays in Tampa with Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (2-3, 3.90) against RHP Taj Bradley (2-1, 5.08).