Houston Astros Celebrate Former World Series Hero's Big Milestone
The Houston Astros celebrated a career milestone for one of their former stars.
The Houston Astros have had a lot to celebrate this week.
On Monday, the Astros finally earned their first win of the season with a 10-0 blowout of the Toronto Blue Jays. More notably, Ronel Blanco threw a no-hitter, becoming the first pitcher to throw a no-no this season.
On Tuesday, Houston took a moment to celebrate former Astros star George Springer, who's now with the Blue Jays. Before the game, Houston played a video at Minute Maid Park to honor Springer's career, which is now in its 11th season. An emotional Springer responded by saluting the Astros fans in attendance.
Springer spent a full decade with the Houston organization, which drafted him with the 11th overall pick in the 2011 MLB Draft. Springer debuted with the Astros in 2014 and quickly established himself as a star with 20 home runs, 51 RBIs and an .804 OPS in just 78 games.
Along with Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, Alex Bregman and others, Springer was a key part of Houston's dynamic core in the late 2010s, helping transform the franchise into a perennial World Series contender. He helped the Astros make five playoff appearances during his seven seasons there, including two World Series trips and the first championship in franchise history.
As good as Springer was in the regular season (three All-Star appearances and two Silver Sluggers with Houston), he always seemed to save his best for October.
In 63 postseason games with the Astros, Springer swatted 19 home runs, including five during the 2017 Fall Classic. He went yard in the final four games of that series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, helping Houston close out the series.
Despite Springer's playoff heroics, the Astros opted to let him walk after the 2020 campaign.
He signed a six-year, $150 million contract with Toronto, where he's remained one of the better players in baseball (when healthy). He probably regrets leaving, however, after watching Houston win two pennants and another World Series without him.
