Baseball’s world champions gathered at the Capitol on Wednesday as the Houston Astros celebrated their 2022 World Series title surrounded by lawmakers dressed in blue and orange.
After going through the American League postseason, the Astros lost two games to one in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies before returning to win the franchise’s second championship.
Astros owner Jim Crane, members of the team’s front office, and Astros catcher Jason Castro and pitcher Ryan Pressley presented the trophy to lawmakers and raised the coveted prize in both legislative chambers.
Discussing parliamentary proposals to present several honorable resolutions to the team and individual players, Speaker of the House Dade Phelan, R-Beaumont, acknowledged that perhaps not everyone under the dome was happy to host the day’s guests.
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“Have you heard the offer, are there any objections from Texas Rangers fans?” said Phelan, who wore an orange tie during Wednesday’s visit.
Houston Astros signed T-shirts, caps and baseballs
Rep. Jolanda Jones rushed into the House chamber Wednesday morning as if she was being waved around third base.
A freshman Democrat representing downtown Houston rushed into the hall as soon as the doors opened to be the first to reach the floor in anticipation of the Astros’ visit.
“I’m here! I’m here!” Jones exclaimed as he arrived in a Houston Astros poncho emblazoned with the team’s armband. “Where’s the Astros?”
Like Jones’ excitement and enthusiasm, many of the legislators arrived wearing baseball caps and T-shirts that they hoped were signed by visiting champions.
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Several Houston representatives filed resolutions to celebrate the team’s accomplishments, as well as postseason honors awarded to individual Astros.
Representatives Tom Oliverson, R-Cypress, and Christina Morales, D-Houston, filed resolutions honoring the team, and Rep. Lacey Hull, R-Houston, congratulated former Astros pitcher Justin Verlander on winning the 2022 American League Pitcher of the Year award. .
Verlander, who signed with the New York Mets this offseason, also received the American League’s Cy Young Award, which is given annually to outstanding pitchers from the National and American Leagues.
Rep. Armando Valle of Houston also filed a resolution to congratulate Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña for being named the 2022 MVP in both the American League Championship Series and the World Series.
Peña, who played his first season in Major League Baseball in 2022, became the first rookie to win the Golden Glove in first place in baseball history.
With the size of baseball royalty in the Capitol, some House legislators didn’t know what to do as Texans are divided in the bitter MLB divisional rivalry between the Astros and Texas Rangers.
“I didn’t know if I should take pictures with them,” said Rep. David Cook of R-Mansfield State, who represents the area south and west of Arlington’s Rangers baseball stadium. “But I have red, white and blue.”
Texas lawmakers honor Houston Astros baseball dynasty
After the glory of a successful 2022 campaign that ended with a second World Series crown, the Texas Senators from Houston were ready to call it what it is: a dynasty.
In a resolution by Senator Carol Alvarado, a Democrat from Houston, who honors the team for 106 regular season wins and a World Series championship, and congratulates Astros manager Dusty Baker, she made it clear that the rest of the league will be in constant trouble. with Houston.
To get the point across, Alvarado reminded the crowd that the Astros had six straight American League championships and four of the last six World Series.
“We’ve become the most dangerous team in baseball,” Alvarado said.
For Senator John Whitmire of Houston, the growth of the Astros brand across the country and how the team represents and connects communities is what stands out the most.
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In a joke alluding to ongoing attempts to legalize sports gambling in the Lone Star state, Whitmire said he was willing to bet that more and more people would recognize Houston because of its baseball team.
“We are not Republicans or Democrats when we support the Astros,” Whitmire said.
After senators exchanged barbs about how to outlast hostile Philadelphia crowds and rout the New York Yankees, the conversation took on a more serious tone as Sen. Roland Gutierrez, D-San Antonio, expressed sincere gratitude to Astros management for the way they helped Uvalda after May 24th mass shooting at Robb Elementary School.
After the shooting, the organization held a “Uvalde Power Day” and last season the players invited and received the victims of the shooting and their families in the stadium.
“I want to thank you for everything you’ve done,” Gutierrez said. “They won’t forget it, I won’t forget it.”
