4/12/26 — Astros vs Mariners
Our first game with the whole family happened to be against my former hometown team. Logan Gilbert took the mound and had a solid seven inning outing, allowing only one run. Our pitching and defense was impressive today, while our offense was at least able to take advantage of the nine walks the Astros gave us, peppering in a few hits of our own.
Nadia seemed more interested in the crowd dynamic than the game. The Mariners are rarely a hostile fanbase to visiting teams, but the Astros certainly do draw their ire. The boos were intense and started early, as soon as their lineup was announced and players started taking the field. I had already explained the sign stealing scandal to the family; what’s harder to explain is how livid the Mariners crowd still is to the tainted organization. A handful of other teams were implicated in similar scandals during this time, but the Astros became the face of it, the scandal fusing with the team’s dynasty.
The general distaste for the Astros organization has taken a life of its own. Altuve, who was the most outspoken Astros player against the cheating, still faced the brunt of it for batting lead-off and being the face of the team then and now.
The Astros have always lingered in the background of my baseball childhood. I remember the Killer Bs almost more as mythology than players: Biggio dirtying a jersey and making a play from the ground, Bagwell’s extra wide batting stance that kids would comically imitate, Berkman delivering in a clutch moment. My dad even says we watched the Big Unit pitch once at the Astrodome, though I was too young to remember it. During an October marching band practice, I recall one of our teachers announcing the score on the megaphone as the Stros were still playing on into the 18th inning of the NLDS game four.
I was living in New York when the Astros began their (now complicated) championship run and was not nearly as into baseball as I am now in Seattle with Leo. I’d watch a stretch of an important game here or there, but felt more or less on the outside of it. Looking back, I’m grateful the timing happened the way it did. I had the luxury of explaining the cheating scandal without the emotional weight of seeing my team win a World Series that now has a public asterisk placed upon it. I don’t have to defend cheating accusations and World Series titles years after the scandal. Or how you can still love a team or a player, even if they did things that they knew were wrong.
“Daddy, I’ve had enough baseball,” Nina declared. “Let’s go over there!” As we wandered the concourse, I noticed a few bright orange shirts scattered amongst the crowd, Astros fans mostly keeping a low profile, trying to enjoy the game. Polite nods and smiles, nothing too different from any other visiting crowd, really. Another chorus of boos caught our attention as Nina and I peered over some seats towards the field. Altuve had stepped into the box.
Final: Mariners 6, Astros 1
Seats: Section 102, row 33 (JRod squad a few rows back)
Memory: Hostile crowd, former hometown team, how can a team redeem itself