Dallas visits Houston for 1st time since leaving
Keuchel looks forward to facing former team at Minute Maid Park
HOUSTON — Dallas Keuchel chatted with Houston Astros second baseman José Altuve before Thursday’s game at Minute Maid Park.
Later that evening, the pitcher watched from the White Sox dugout as a tribute in his honor played on the video board. When it concluded, Keuchel stepped out, tipped his cap and waved while the crowd gave him a nice ovation.
Keuchel spent the first seven seasons of his major-league career with the Astros. He’ll face them for the first time Sunday.
“It’s going to be a little weird,” Keuchel said of his return during a Tuesday conference call. “It was a place I never thought I was going to leave. That was reality.
“I still have a lot of former teammates I have some big-time admiration for.”
Keuchel went 76-63 with a 3.66 ERA in 192 appearances (183 starts) for the Astros from 2012-18.
“I’m surprised they haven’t put up a statue of me,” Keuchel joked Thursday. “This place is always going to be home. When I came up as a 24-year-old, (I) had some bumps and bruises pretty much the first two years I was here. I had a five-plus ERA (and) was just trying to figure things out, trying to stay
in the big leagues and make the most of my opportunity.
“I worked hard. I always give (Astros pitching coach Brent Strom) credit because he’s the guy that worked with me on getting back to being athletic in pitching.
“That guy is always going to hold a special place in my heart. But every time I see this place has always given me a smile.”
Keuchel earned the American League Cy Young Award, and was an All-Star in 2015 and again in 2017, the season the Astros won a controversial World Series title.
Keuchel spent 2019 with the Atlanta Braves, then signed a three-year, $55.5 million deal with the Sox before the 2020 season.
He has provided leadership and stability to the staff. He went 6-2 with a 1.99 ERA last season, finishing fifth in the AL Cy Young Award voting.
He’s 6-1 with a 3.78 ERA this season. Keuchel had a one of his best starts of the season Tuesday, allowing four hits in seven innings in a 3-0 victory against the Tampa Bay Rays at Guaranteed Rate Field.
“He was lights out,” Sox center fielder Adam Engel said after the game. “It felt like he was working the corners really, really well. And if he threw anything over the plate, it was at the bottom of the zone.
“Those guys looked like they didn’t know what was coming. They didn’t seem comfortable all night.”
And now comes the reunion, although Keuchel won’t get to face former teammate Alex Bregman.
The third baseman is on the injured list with a left quad strain.
“I wish Bregman was going to be in the lineup,” Keuchel said. “He’s always one to give a little bit of input. I’ve been talking trash with (Bregman) since ’16, when I faced him before he came up to the big leagues.
“Had a minor-league start in spring training, and I punched him out on a two-seam in. That was always my goal — to punch him out in the big leagues if we didn’t play together.
“They’re probably the best lineup that we’re going to face this year. We’ve got our hands full.”
Keuchel said Sunday will be “fun and competitive.”
“I know those guys, they know me, they know how much of a competitor I am,” Keuchel said. “And we always had conversations there that if somebody wanted to leave, it would be a healthy banter back and forth.
“That crowd, that city was really into the Astros, so it will be a hostile environment for us. Looking forward to seeing some of those guys, but it will be a little nerve-wracking when I take the mound Sunday.
“Just make sure I go to the right bullpen.”