9 innings with the Houston Astros

Starting Pitcher Dallas Keuchel was born on New Year’s Day in 1988. He majored in apparel studies while he was at the University of Arkansas, so if it was not for baseball, he could be designing Nike clothing right now. In high school, Keuchel did not just shine in baseball, he was also the starting quarterback at Bishop Kelly High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Keuchel bats and pitches left-handed. He is known by many for one particular aspect of his appearance.
“He has a really nice beard!” said Kalinda Lieng, health care administration major.
His nickname is Kid Keuchy, which is also his Twitter handle.
Courtesy image. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dallas_Keuchel_on_August_25,_2015.jpg

Pitcher Brad Peacock has played for both the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros. Peacock pitched the longest hitless relief outing since 1964 in Game 3 of the 2017 World Series.
“I thought Peacock pitched really well during the World Series,” said Gregory Bueker, marketing major.
While playing in the minor leagues, Peacock’s father, Jerry Peacock, followed him in a converted lawnmower trailer with a mattress and an air-conditioning unit.
Photo courtesy of MLB.

Starting Pitcher Justin Verlander was throwing fast pitches even when he was in little league. Many children cried or refused to bat against him because of it. By the time he was in high school, he was throwing over 80 mph and could throw the ball the length of a football field. Verlander’s parents, Richard and Kathy, wrote a book about their son’s life called “Rocks Across the Pond.”
Verlander married model-actress Kate Upton two days after winning the 2017 World Series.
“That’s the only thing I know about him – that he’s married to a celebrity,” said Brittany Ballast, communication major.
Verlander was traded to the Houston Astros a few days after Hurricane Harvey and was moved by the response the community had to the devastation. During the playoffs, he started a pledge drive through his foundation Wins for Warriors to raise money for veterans who had been affected in the storm and raised more than $200,000.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Designated Hitter and catcher Evan Gattis struggled with anxiety and depression, and he abused drugs and alcohol prior to his career in baseball. He abandoned his scholarships to A&M and Rice University to seek clinical help for his substance abuse. He had a variety of jobs throughout the years, such as a parking valet, janitor and ski-lift operator.
“Gattis is one of my favorite players because he was on the down-and-out overcoming drug and alcohol abuse and wanted to go back to school and play baseball, and he couldn’t get in,” said Lauren Johnson, marketing major.
While in Santa Cruz, California, Gattis met John Wheeler, a spiritual teacher, that convinced him to go back to pursuing baseball. This led to him eventually being drafted by the Atlanta Braves and, later, the Houston Astros.
Courtesy image. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evan_Gattis

Second baseman José Altuve is from Maracay, Venezuela. At 5’ 6”, Altuve is the shortest active player in the MLB. He initially did not make the team when he tried out for the Astros at try-out camp because he was so small. The then 16-year-old Altuve was sent home for lying about his age. He returned the next day with his birth certificate.
An online calculator was created based on Altuve’s height called “How Many Altuves?” The calculator allows any distance of feet to be converted into an amount of Altuves.
“Altuve is an inspiration to all short people,” said Jonathan Cantú, business management major. “Before, in baseball, if you were short you really couldn’t become a professional baseball player, but now he’s proving that wrong.”
The “Jump Swing” was invented by Altuve in September 2014 when a ball was pitched too high for him to reach. Instead of letting the ball become a strike, Altuve jumped while he swung in order to foul the ball.
Altuve was awarded Sports Illustrated’s co-sportsperson of the year (with Texans player J.J. Watt) for his tremendous relief efforts for Hurricane Harvey.
Courtesy image. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rubén_Tejada_and_José_Altuve.jpg

Third Baseman and Shortstop Alex Bregman started playing baseball when he was four years old. In his first T-ball game ever, he turned an unassisted triple play showing his clear talent right away. When he was a junior, he became the first high school student to win the USA Baseball Player of the Year. Bregman played for LSU in college and, as a tribute, one of his walk-out songs to bat is “Callin Baton Rouge” by Garth Brooks.
“I think he’s the best third baseman in the game; he’s phenomenal,” said Michael Bolton, human resources management major. “If you go back and you watch any plays that he made in the postseason, he made at least five great third base plays.”
Bregman wears the number two because he was the number two draft pick and to honor his favorite player, Derek Jeter, who shares the same number.
Courtesy image. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alex_Bregman_playing_shortstop_in_2017.jpg

Shortstop Carlos Correa was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. He was the valedictorian of the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy and held a 4.0 GPA in high school.
“He and Altuve are an inspiration to a lot of latinos, especially boys who want to become baseball players,” said Bree Siller, chemistry major.
17-year-old Correa was the number one draft pick in 2012 when the Astros signed him.
Immediately following the Astros win of the 2017 World Series, Correa proposed to his girlfriend, Daniella Rodriguez, on the field.
Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

Outfielder George Springer III was made the 2017 World Series MVP. His father, George Springer II, played in the Little League World Series in 1976. Springer grew up with a stutter and has learned how to control it by slowing down his speech. Despite the fact that he writes left-handed, he hits right-handed.
“He’s a good player, and he’s good at bat,” said Jose Gomez, environmental science major. “The team kind of takes off after him.”
Springer’s fans began calling each of his home runs “Springer Dingers” and sometimes even use it as a nickname for him.
Courtesy image. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:George_Springer_on_August_18,_2016.jpg

First baseman Yuli Gurriel is from Sancti Spíritus, Cuba. Before playing for the Astros, he was a successful baseball player in Cuba. He helped the team win a gold medal in the 2004 Summer Olympics. During Game 4 of the 2017 World Series Gurriel made a derogatory comment and gesture while he was in the dugout about Dogers Pitcher Yu Darvish. In response, Gurriel was suspended from the first five games of the 2018 season and lost more than $300 thousand of his $12 million salary. The lost salary was donated to a charity that supports diversity efforts.
“It was definitely immature,” said Colten Lewis, health care administration major. “I mean it was in the heat of the moment; they were playing a game and having fun, but he probably shouldn’t have done that.”
Gurriel is known for his iconic wild hair that fans see when he removes his helmet in the dugout. The Astros have even had a Gurriel fan night in which they passed out wigs to fans that resembled the player’s striking locks.
Courtesy image. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Yuli_Gurriel_(35278377444).jpg