Sunday, March 31, 2013
Fun Facts - 3/31/13
Here's 10 bits of trivia worth noting before the Season Opener:
*Bud Norris has fared significantly better at home than on the road in his 4 year career. In the confines of Minute Maid Park, Norris is 17-14 with a 3.51 ERA. Everywhere else he is 11-23 and his ERA is 5.39. Norris has never faced the Rangers.
*Rick Ankiel is a career .244 hitter, but has hit .300 (18/60) in 21 games at Minute Maid Park.
*Carlos Pena has 277 home runs in his Major League career, but none of them have been hit in Minute Maid Park.
*Jason Castro slugged 6 home runs in 49 plate appearances this spring. He homered only 6 times the entire 2012 season while making 295 plate appearances.
*Bud Norris has fared significantly better at home than on the road in his 4 year career. In the confines of Minute Maid Park, Norris is 17-14 with a 3.51 ERA. Everywhere else he is 11-23 and his ERA is 5.39. Norris has never faced the Rangers.
*Rick Ankiel is a career .244 hitter, but has hit .300 (18/60) in 21 games at Minute Maid Park.
*Carlos Pena has 277 home runs in his Major League career, but none of them have been hit in Minute Maid Park.
*Jason Castro slugged 6 home runs in 49 plate appearances this spring. He homered only 6 times the entire 2012 season while making 295 plate appearances.
Here We Go!
Today's the big day. If you're not excited, you must be dead inside. After months and months of waiting, Opening Day is finally here as our boys, the Astros host the Texas Rangers in the 2013 Season Opener. Now I know what you're thinking; this year's Astros are projected to be historically bad- like 1962 Mets bad. But you know what? Today they're undefeated, and there's always a chance that the odds could be defied. Baseball is one of those games where you're never out of it. The best team on paper, more so than in any other sport, doesn't always win. You can hit 27 line drives and go hitless, and conversely get 15 weakly hit infield singles in a row. And until that last out is made, a rally is always a possibility. It's what makes baseball such a great game. There's a quote by American author Roger Angell that captures this:
Since baseball time is measured only in outs, all you have to do is succeed utterly; keep hitting, keep the rally alive, and you have defeated time. You remain forever young.
So today, the Astros have their chance to make us believe in what's possible. Maybe some of the young kids will step up. Maybe some of the old vets that other teams passed on have just enough left in the tank to make a difference. Is it a longshot? Heck yeah, it's a long shot. But you've got to believe. Dare to dream, right? So be excited for tonight and enjoy the magic of Opening Day.
Since baseball time is measured only in outs, all you have to do is succeed utterly; keep hitting, keep the rally alive, and you have defeated time. You remain forever young.
So today, the Astros have their chance to make us believe in what's possible. Maybe some of the young kids will step up. Maybe some of the old vets that other teams passed on have just enough left in the tank to make a difference. Is it a longshot? Heck yeah, it's a long shot. But you've got to believe. Dare to dream, right? So be excited for tonight and enjoy the magic of Opening Day.
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