'It is Everything': Texans DeMeco Ryans Gets Advice from Astros Dusty Baker
HOUSTON — Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans threw the honorary first pitch ahead of the Houston Astros' three-game series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday.
Ryans relished the opportunity at Minute Maid Park due to his love for baseball. But amid throwing the first pitch, Ryans hopes to replicate the Astros' championship pedigree with the Texans. And with the support of manager Dusty Baker, Ryans received advice on how to build a championship organization.
"It is everything to have that support from Dusty — it means a lot," Ryans said. "I will make sure I follow that advice because he has done it at a very high level for a very long time. I have looked up to him his entire career for as long as I have been watching baseball. I am proud of what he has done."
Ahead of his first season as coach of the Texans, Baker's advice to Ryans was to be himself and learn, per Brian Barefield. Baker is a future Hall-of-Famer who has led the Astros to back-to-back World Series since he arrived in 2020.
But even before Baker became manager, Ryans said he has kept up with the Astros' run since his playing days as an All-Pro linebacker for the Texans.
His final season in Houston came during the 2011 campaign when the Astros began laying the groundwork for their impressive run due to the emergence of then-rookie infielder Jose Altuve.
They have built a championship-caliber team since Ryans departed Houston for the Philadelphia Eagles. And in 2017, the Astros won their first World Series title in a 4-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"They’re always there in the end," Ryans said. "They’re champions. They have a championship atmosphere, which we want to bring from the football side. For the Texans, that is the atmosphere we want to bring."
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