Rings mark diamond victories
2021 championship jewelry with 15 gems presented to team before its home opener
Ten games into the season, Astros third baseman Alex Bregman assured fans this is no time for nervousness or its next of kin.
“We’ve got to get going in a few areas, and we will,” Bregman said prior to the Astros’ home opener Monday night at Minute Maid Park. “It’s pretty early in the season, and the cream always rises to the top.”
The rising cream, too, correlates with the slide of a ring, what’s become an almost annual affair on the Astros’ home field. The Astros received their American League championship rings prior to facing the Los Angeles Angels in the opener of a threegame series.
“I can’t wait to see what they look like,” Astros outfielder Chas McCormick said prior to the pregame ceremony.
McCormick added of the Astros’ string of American League Championship Series appearances: “It’s amazing to (be in) five in a row. … It shows the character of this team and this organization, and there’s no better feeling than to get a ring for that.”
The Astros, who are playing six consecutive games at home after playing their first nine on the road, are aiming for their sixth straight showing in an ALCS. The Astros had never appeared in more than two consecutive championship series (2004-05 when they were in the National League) prior to the current streak.
“Trying to get that sixth this year will obviously be hard to do,” McCormick said. “(Those) kinds of streaks you want to keep going … and making a sixth ALCS this year would be huge. We’ve got a long way to go … but we’re really motivated to get there.”
While some of the younger players received their first ring at the big league level, Astros manager Dusty Baker simply added Monday’s glossy offering to his collection behind a code.
“You always want a championship ring, but any ring is better than no ring,” Baker said of ideally being fitted for a World Series band before his Astros tenure runs its course. “There are a bunch of people who never even got a ring.”
A year ago the Atlanta Braves defeated the Astros in six games in the World Series, with the clincher occurring on Houston’s home field. Monday night’s game was the Astros’ first at Minute Maid since the puncturing 7-0 loss on Nov. 2.
“You’ve got to look at it as we played as well as we could play,” said Baker, who first managed the Astros in 2020. “Since I’ve been here, we were one game away from (making) the World Series, and then we were in the World Series. There’s only one step left this year.
“I hope the guys who (didn’t) have rings appreciate the rings that we get, and the guys who do have rings, hopefully they fit some other fingers, and they (wind up) with four or five fingers full of rings.”
Baker, a longtime player and manager, said he’s unaware how many rings he owns. Rings are typically awarded for American and National pennants and of course for winning the World Series.
“I really don’t know,” Baker said with a shrug. “I’ve got one championship ring (1981 with the Los Angeles Dodgers), three or four National League championship rings, three or four All-Star rings. I’ve just got them in a safe deposit box, and I’ll give them to my kids.
“I don’t wear them out (and about), because they really don’t fit.”
The Astros started the season 4-1 before dropping three of four prior to Monday’s home opener.
“Our guys are happy to be with our families and be with our fans,” Baker said of the Astros finally playing a home game in 2022.
Prior to the ring presentation, Baker said with a grin that he could not wait to see what the Astros owner had in store on the bling front.
“I know that Jim Crane goes (all) out — I’ve seen some of those rings in the past,” Baker said. “I expect this ring to be pretty cool.”
The Astros’ all-time ring to date is the 2017 World Series title edition, with its 11 diamonds in the “H” on top, signifying their 11 postseason victories en route to their first World Series triumph.
The Astros on Monday night spent about 15 minutes before the first pitch honoring the 2021 crew, including the franchise’s extended staff members. The 2021 ring has 15 diamonds in the “H” in tribute to the team’s 15 postseason appearances.
“We’re super happy about it,” said Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, who three years ago was in the organization’s minor leagues, adding that the rings were even a prevalent topic of conversation among the Astros on their way home from Seattle on Sunday.
A couple of the loudest cheers from fans still finding their seats were for outfielder Michael Brantley and pitcher Justin Verlander, although the latter didn’t play in 2021 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in September 2020.
Bregman said the players were thrilled to win their third American League pennant in the last five years for the fans. Now it’s time to focus on 2022.
“They love the Astros, they love this city, we love this city, and we love them,” Bregman said of the Astros’ faithful. “It’s always an honor to play for them.”