Last one in line ‘thankful’ to meet Altuve
Teenager among hundreds of fans seeking a glimpse
For a few moments Monday evening, Sarah Saenz, 14, thought her hopes of meeting Houston Astros star Jose Altuve would be dashed as the line outside a Academy Sports + Outdoors in Katy dwindled.
After all, it was already 6:35 p.m. — five minutes past the All-Star second baseman’s scheduled hour-long appearance, and she had not nabbed his autograph.
Altuve’s visit was the last in a series of appearances this month by Astros players at Academy Sports + Outdoors stores. After winning the World Series, players have been signing autographs for fans around the region. On Wednesday, Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers visited Katy and Pearland, respectively. And on Thursday, Alex Bregman visited Webster. The autographs were free, but passes were distributed two hours before each appearance on a first-come, first-served basis, and they did not come with an autograph guarantee.
With school out for the Thanksgiving holiday, Saenz’s mom dropped off her daughter around noon at the sports store to wait in line. The teen jumped into a throng of hundreds of other Astros fans, waiting to catch a glimpse of the Astros MVP second
baseman and hopefully nab his autograph and maybe a photo.
By the time Saenz and her dad, who joined her later, reached the front door, organizers were finished letting fans inside.
It was worth a shot to stay past closing time, Saenz thought.
She proved right as Altuve and his team of organizers asked the store managers and the Fort Bend sheriff’s deputy monitoring the front door to let 10 more people inside.
“One, two, three, four … nine, 10,” a deputy counted. Saenz was number 10. “It was insane meeting him — I couldn’t believe it was happening,” she said afterward. “I’m so thankful because I didn’t think they were going to let any more in.”
As Altuve signed her poster, Saenz uttered only a meek hello to the AllStar.
“I said, ‘Hi, Altuve,’” she said. “I don’t know if he said anything back. I was so excited, and it happened so quickly. But he smiled for my selfie.”
It was a once in a lifetime experience for the teen.
The Katy sports store was a magnet for Astros diehards. The parking lot and neighborhood streets overflowed with cars, and a line of orange and blue wrapped around the store.
Many fans standing in line waited between six and 10 hours. Some of the most dedicated fans at the front of the line waited more than 24 hours.
Some slept in sleeping bags and tents. Others brought heaters to fight off the cold front that swept through the Houston region Sunday night and dropped temperatures into the 40s.
The American League’s Most Valuable Player was greeted with the chant by Astros fans that reverberated through Minute Maid Park during the season: “M-V-P! M-V-P! M-V-P!”
The newly crowned MVP, Altuve, signed hundreds of posters. Though fans pleaded for Altuve to sign their balls and bats, he was only allowed to ink posters.
But he smiled for selfies from cajoling fans and also gave a rare high-five to children who smiled as they called him their hero.
By the end of the event, Altuve’s smiles faded a bit and he looked tired, but he said the fans made it worth it.
“I really appreciate all of the support,” Altuve said. “What can I say? I love my fans. They are the biggest reason why we won the World Series.”
Even after Altuve had left the store, Saenz hung back with her dad and a crowd of fans, relishing the moment they all got to share.
“I’m so pumped right now,” she said. “I’ll never forget this day.”