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More about low-hit season openers By JohnW53 on Apr 3, 2021, 7:34am CDT +
The Cubs made history on Opening Day in their 5-3 loss to the Pirates.
Until they did it Thursday, no team ever had begun a season with 2 or fewer hits, struck out 13 times and scored more than 2 runs.
Only 3 previous teams had had so few hits plus at least 13 strikeouts in an opener.
All had exactly 13 strikeouts, and in only 1 of the 3 did a team score a run. The Dodgers made 2 hits in a 3-2 loss at Houston on April 10, 1980.
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That game, it s worth noting, lasted only 2 hours and 3 minutes, barely half the exactly 4 hours of the Cubs loss on Thursday.
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HOUSTON The sun always shines inside Minute Maid Park, whether the roof is open or not. If you’ve spent any time at the ballpark, you have noticed a bright yellow sunshine situated next to the No. 7 hanging in the rafters that represents the retired number of Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.
The sunshine is a tribute to the Sunshine Kids, a non-profit organization dedicated to children with cancer that Biggio supported throughout his 20-year career in Houston. The sunshine is a replica of the pin Biggio wore on his cap during Spring Training and in batting practice throughout his playing career, but that was only a fraction of the support Biggio put behind the organization.
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HOUSTON The Astros have had their share of Rule 5 Draft successes in the past 50 years, a list that incudes left-handed pitcher Wesley Wright, center fielder Willy Taveras and right-handed pitcher Xavier Hernandez. Those were the outliers.
Most of the players the club has taken in the Rule 5 Draft over the years didn’t reach the Majors or didn’t have much of an impact when they did, which isn’t an unusual outcome for the Rule 5 Draft. Players taken in the Major League phase must remain on that club’s active roster for the entire next season or be offered back to the former club.