Back in business
Returning with a bang, Carter homers to help Velasquez earn first major league victory
Vince Velasquez had no idea what was coming, and that’s what made the Astros’ ritual so special Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park.
Shortly after the rookie righthander earned his first victory in the majors with an 8-3 win over the Red Sox, Astros ace lefthander Dallas Keuchel surprised him by dumping a cooler full of Gatorade on him.
Then fellow rookie righthander Lance McCullers showered his good friend with a cooler of ice and water. Keuchel then capped the celebration by dumping more ice on Velasquez.
Velasquez finally saw how the Astros celebrate a pitcher’s first big league victory.
“I guess I’ll need an ice bath after a while, but I’ll do that after tomorrow,” Velasquez said after holding the Red Sox to seven hits and three runs with seven strikeouts over six strong innings. “It was a good little celebration and just a great team win overall.”
Velasquez returned from a two-week tune-up at Class AA Corpus Christi and executed everything he worked on with Hooks pitching coach Doug Brocail.
After working on his slider and his pace, Velasquez (1-1) passed an important test in the opener of a three-game series before a crowd of 26,193.
Velasquez, who made his big league debut on June 10, earned his first victory in
his seventh start overall and his first appearance since he was sent down after he lost on July 7.
“He’s done his job a couple different times and not gotten anything to show for it, so it was nice to reward him with a win,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “The guys were excited, got to celebrate a little bit. And we get the first game of the series, so that’s always nice.”
Velasquez and Chris Carter showed up at Minute Maid Park ready to answer some important questions. Carter had not played since suffering a sprained ankle in the second inning Friday.
Moreover, Carter entered the night on an 0-for20 skid.
Carter’s ankle looked fine, especially when he trotted around the bases after hitting a two-run homer to give the Astros a 7-3 lead in the sixth inning.
Red Sox rookie lefthander Brian Johnson (0-1) gave up three hits and four runs with four walks and three strikeouts in 41⁄3 innings in his major league debut.
Carter, who was cleared to play after hitting off a tee and running on a treadmill during the club’s day off Monday, served as the Astros’ designated hitter to limit the stress on his ankle. He went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs.
“After being hurt for the last couple of days and not being able to do much, it was nice to be able to help and contribute to the team,” Carter said.
Jose Altuve led off the bottom of the first with a walk and stole second. Marwin Gonzalez put runners at the corners with a single to center. Carlos Correa then gave the Astros a 1-0 lead with a sacrifice fly to center.
The Red Sox countered with three runs in the third inning to go ahead 3-1.
Alejandro De Aza led off the third with a single to right. Ryan Hanigan followed with a double to left. Mookie Betts then hit a two-run double over the bag at first on a fortuitous checked swing. One out later, Xander Bogaerts hit an RBI single to center to give the Red Sox a 3-1 lead.
Carter led off the fifth with a single to right. L.J. Hoes followed with a single to left. Johnson induced Jake Marisnick’s fielder’s choice grounder to third for the first out.
But with Altuve at the plate, Johnson twice lobbed the ball over to first base on half-hearted pickoff attempts. Johnson’s second throw was short, pulling first baseman Brock Holt from the bag. He then faked a pickoff throw, but Marisnick still took a long lead and stole second base on Johnson’s next pitch.
Hanigan’s throw to second was wide and low, ricocheting off Marisnick’s elbow and toward left field. Marisnick then popped up from his slide and raced home behind Carter to tie the score at 3.
Johnson was finally pulled after he walked Altuve in the fifth. Justin Masterson took over and hit Gonzalez on the right foot with a pitch. Correa gave the Astros a 4-3 lead with a ground-rule double to right. Evan Gattis made it 5-3 with an RBI groundout to third, giving Velasquez more than enough runs for his shower.
“It’s pretty cool,” McCullers said. “I know he’s been waiting for it for a long time. I was really happy for him. He’s a great guy, a good friend of mine, and I’m just happy he was able to get his first win tonight.”