2Pitcher José Urquidy at work during Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
3Pitcher José Urquidy at work during Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays.
4Despite an injury, former Astros outfielder George Springer made his return to Minute Maid Park Friday.
5Despite an injury, former Astros outfielder George Springer made his return to Minute Maid Park Friday.
6George Springer waves to fans.
7An Astros (and George Springer) fan
8An Astros (and George Springer) fan
9George Springer waves to fans.
10Third baseman Alex Bregman
11An Astros fan
12An Astros fan
13Third baseman Alex Bregman
14Outfielder Yordan Álvarez
15We start them young here at Minute Maid.
16Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Cavan Biggio at bat. Cavan is the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.
17Outfielder Yordan Álvarez
18We start them young here at Minute Maid.
19A little Astros fan
20Catcher Martín Maldonado at bat
21Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Cavan Biggio at bat. Cavan is the son of Astros Hall of Famer Craig Biggio.
22An Astros fan
23An Astros fan
24First Baseman Yuli Gurriel at bat
25Catcher Martín Maldonado at bat
26Third Baseman Alex Bregman at bat
27A little Astros fan or Orbit? You decide.
28Shortstop Carlos Correa
29First Baseman Yuli Gurriel at bat
30A little Astros fan or Orbit? You decide.
31Astros fans
32Outfielder Myles Straw dives for home plate.
33Third Baseman Alex Bregman at bat
34A little Astros fan
35An Astros fan
36Astros fans
37Shortstop Carlos Correa
38Second Baseman José Altuve swings for the ball.
39Astros fans
40Go 'Stros!
41Outfielder Myles Straw dives for home plate.
42Astros fans
43Astros fans
44Astros fans
45Go 'Stros!
46Astros fans
47Astros fans
48An Astros fan
49Second Baseman José Altuve swings for the ball.
50Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?
51Do you ever feel like a plastic bag?
52Oh, what a night!
IT WAS AN ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL EVENING last Friday when the Houston Astros hosted the Toronto Blue Jays at Minute Maid Park in Downtown Houston.
But despite the Instagram-worthy views, that wasn’t what made the night special: This game marked the return of former Astros outfielder George Springer, who signed with the Blue Jays over the off-season, though Springer is currently on the injured list and has not seen any playing time yet this season.
Before the game, the Astros honored Springer with a video montage of his highlights with Houston, which prompted Springer to step out of the visitor’s dugout to salute his former teammates and the hometown fans.
During the game, Astros starter José Urquidy gave up an early home run to Toronto’s Bo Bichette but settled down and pitched well in seven innings. Carlos Correa followed by hitting a home run off the foul pole, and Yuli Gurriel had a career game with four hits that drove in four runs, including a home run. The Astros ended the night with 15 total hits, winning 10-4 over the Jays.
The ‘Stros are currently operating at 50-percent capacity at Minute Maid Park, which allowed only 25,410 fans at Friday’s game. They also opted to keep the roof open all night, which led to an extremely pleasant ballpark experience that included a stunning sunset and cool breeze. Friday night fireworks followed the game.
Marco Torres is a writer and photographer based in Houston, Texas. He has covered Houston's vibrant music, art, and taco cultures since 2009. Torres grew up in Houston's North Side, and later attended Jones Senior High in Houston's South Park district at the height of the DJ Screw era, fueling his love for Houston Rap. He is the principal photographer for the Tacos of Texas book, published in 2016 by the University of Texas Press. His photos and bylines have been published in the Houston Press, Chron.com, Texas Monthly,Billboard Magazine, Rolling Stone, and more.
