Players on Caravan real crowd-pleasers
Two days before he was scheduled to receive his Cy Young Award in New York, lefthander Dallas Keuchel spent an hour working a Chick-fil-A counter in Houston as part of the Astros Caravan on Thursday. A few feet away, threetime All-Star Jose Altuve and the Astros’ new hardthrowing reliever, Ken Giles, manned the drivethru window.
Keuchel and Altuve
have made dozens of stops during three years’ worth of Astros Caravan appearances, but this was different. That much was evident as they struggled to get past the crowd.
In the previous two winters, it was not unusual for Altuve, Keuchel and their teammates to be greeted by intimate crowds when they made stops around the state at sporting goods stores or fast-food chains.
There’s much more excitement now. The Chickfil-A on Shearn Street near downtown was teeming with customers in Astros orange and blue.
Keuchel, Altuve and Giles had to squeeze through the crowd just to get behind the counter. An hour later, they had to be whisked away through the back door so they wouldn’t be late to their next stop at a local food bank.
“Now that we made the playoffs and had a winning season, fans are just eager to kind of get out and ready for the 2016 season to start off,” Keuchel said.
Altuve a crowd favorite
Keuchel and Altuve were major reasons the Astros reached the postseason last year for the first time since 2005. Keuchel won a career-high 20 games and then beat the New York Yankees on short rest in the AL wildcard game at Yankee Stadium as the Astros earned a Division Series berth.
They packed Minute Maid Park for Games 3 and 4, raising the city’s excitement when they got within six outs of eliminating the eventual World Series champion Kansas City Royals.
Although they were eliminated in Game 5 in Kansas City, the surprising playoff run has elevated the expectations for Keuchel, Altuve and the rest of the Astros.
The Astros have energized a fan base that had little to celebrate in the previous five years other than Altuve’s American League batting title in 2014.
“It’s always been exciting, always been a lot of energy,” Altuve said. “But obviously, this is a little different after a playoff season. Fans want to go to the ballpark and see you win. We want to go out there and give them what they want.
“We want to win. I think we’re ready to win. It’s going to be good. This season is going to be interesting.”
Altuve, who won’t turn 26 until May 6, is eager to get to spring training. Position players are expected to return to camp Feb. 21.
A year after setting a franchise single-season record with 225 hits while winning the batting title with a .341 batting average, Altuve had 200 hits in 2015 to become the first Astro to collect multiple 200-hit seasons.
He also earned his first Gold Glove, second Silver Slugger Award and third All-Star berth in 2015. He has 830 hits in his first five seasons.
Despite the impressive résumé, Altuve had to introduce himself to a few customers who had no idea why the guy in the drivethru window was decked in a white Astros jersey.
Mary Alice Santillan, 40, needed no introduction. The longtime Astros fan got into the drive-thru lane specifically to meet Altuve, who rewarded her devotion by posing for a selfie with her.
“I’m so excited, especially for my son, because he loves (Altuve),” Santillan said. “He woke up early just to come see him. He doesn’t wake up early to go to school, though.”
Considerable fanfare
Joseph Piotrowski, who owns a Chick-fil-A in Tomball, showed up at the store on Shearn Street to help with the extra patrons.
He estimated that the standing-room-only crowd inside the restaurant and the overflow group outside made up the second-largest crowd ever at the store, behind one attending a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day two years ago.
Keuchel, Altuve and Giles tended to the customers for an hour, with the exception of brief breaks to address the media.
A majority of the fans thanked Altuve and Keuchel for the 2015 playoff run.
“That means a lot for not only me but the whole team,” Keuchel said. “We’re trying to give back, obviously, but we’re also trying to do the best we can to make this city a winner. … It’s nice to be liked just because the Astros and the city of Houston is such a big market.
“I feel bad because I can’t autograph everybody’s stuff. But at the same time, when I take a picture, I put a smile on my face so I can maybe brighten up somebody else’s day.”