Greatness Calling Houston Via Verlander

When he wasn’t busy meeting his new teammates Saturday, Justin Verlander was paying riveted close attention to the game itself.

 

Labor Day Notes. …. The Astros seem to be catching a second strong wind this Labor Day Weekend. Just getting home to be with their own families who rode out the storm of biblical proportions may have been tonic enough, but can we even imagine how the players felt when brand new Astro Justin Verlander showed up in time from Detroit to suit up and join the club in their dugout for most of Saturday’s first game of a doubleheader sweep of the Mets? His handsome presence and infectious smile, and, even on TV at home, his easy-to-see gladness to go through all the new-kid-in-school hugs and hand shakes was totally in place. Justin Verlander, the arguably greatest pitcher in 21st century MLB history is here – as one of us – as one of the now two former Cy Young winners that frame all of our hopes – including his own – for a Houston World Series victory in 2017.

Wanting greatness for our Houston Astros is one thing, folks, but finding out that greatness also wants to be one of our Houston Astros is a whole other level of surrealism.

The great Justin Verlander is not simply here. If he didn’t want to be here, this trade could not have happened. – That’s right. – Justin Verlander wants to be here. And he obviously wants to be a Houston Astro. And he didn’t come here to not be great. – We take nothing for granted, friends, but strap on your seat belts and hold onto your caps. If our hopes should fall out of this plane anytime between now and late October, it’s going to be a long trip to the ground.

We just gotta believe!

Too sweet” would be my tweet – if I were the kind of Internet Joe who did that sort of thing.

Happy Labor Day, Everybody!

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST STANDINGS

THRU GAMES OF SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2017 

RANK AL WEST W L PCT. GB
1 ASTROS 83 53 .610  
2 ANGELS 70 67 .511 13.5
3 MARINERS 69 68 .504 14.5
4 RANGERS 68 68 .500 15.0
5 ATHLETICS 58 78 .426 25.0

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AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST GAME SCORES

THRU GAMES OF SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

ASTROS 8 – METS 6

RANGERS 7 – ANGELS 6                 

MARINERS 10 – ATHLETICS 2

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AMERICAN LEAGUE BATTING AVERAGE LEADERS

THRU GAMES OF SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 2017

RANK PLAYER TEAM AB H 2B 3B HR BA
1 JOSE ALTUVE HOU 513 183 36 4 21 .357
2 AVISAIL GARCIA CWS 422 137 22 4 14 .325
NR * CARLOS CORREA HOU 328 105 18 1 20 .320
3 ERIC HOSMER KC 508 161 24 1 22 .317
4 JOSH REDDICK HOU 425 132 28 3 12 .311
5 JOSE RAMERIZ CLE 513 159 46 6 22 .310
6 JONATHAN SCHOOP BAL 525 162 33 0 30 .309
7 JEAN SEGURA SEA 444 136 27 1 8 .306
8 JOE MAUER MIN 436 132 29 1 6 .303
9 ELVIS ANDRUS TEX 545 164 37 4 18 .301
10 JOSE ABREU CWS 522 157 36 4 27 .301
OTHER TOP 40 ASTROS
12 GEORGE SPRINGER HOU 460 136 25 0 31 .296
13 MARWIN GONZALEZ HOU 384 113 25 0 21 .294
14 YULI GURRIEL HOU 454 133 36 1 15 .293
21 ALEX BREGMAN HOU 466 134 31 5 16 .288

NR * LOST TIME ON THE DL HAS TEMPORARILY REMOVED CORREA FROM AN OFFICIAL QUALIFYING PLACE IN THE RANKING OF TOP 40 HITTERS.

 

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Bill McCurdy

Principal Writer, Editor, Publisher

The Pecan Park Eagle

 

 

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