The Astros get their first and 1000th win against the same club.
Minute Maid Park opened its doors in the year 2000, known then as Enron Field. I remember going to Opening Day and watching the Astros play. I was a high school junior then, and I went with a few of my football buddies. The experience was amazing, and I looked forward to visiting the ballpark in the coming years.
Flash forward 22 years, and the Astros just recently finished the regular season with a home win against the Philadelphia Phillies. The game was noteworthy for another reason: it was the Astros’ 1000th victory at Minute Maid.
And it was only fitting that it came against the Phillies–the team opened the park over two decades earlier. The date was April 8, 2000, and the Astros won that game 8-5. Moises Alou hit a two-run single in the bottom of the fifth to put the Astros ahead, and Billy Wagner got the park’s first save.
Both teams now head to the postseason, the Astros as winners of the AL West and the Phillies in a Wild Card spot. The Astros have the second-best record in Major League Baseball behind the LA Dodgers, and odd makers are predicting the two teams are likely to play in the World Series, just as they did in 2017.
We’ll see if that happens. But for now, at least, Houston fans can celebrate the park’s victory milestone–1000 wins and climbing.
I would not have known that if I didn’t see this great article by Matthew Paris. Great story Mr. Paris.