First game in Houston since Harvey

HOUSTON — Baseball returned to Houston on Saturday with the Astros giving the floodravaged city a few hours of entertainment at the end of a terrible and trying week.

The Astros beat the Mets 12-8 in the opener of a doubleheader, the first pro sporting event in the city since Hurricane Harvey.

“After the week that we’ve gone through people need a sign that tomorrow will be better than today,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said. “No better way to do that than for the Astros to play ball. This is a city that regardless of our challenges we play ball.”

The crowd of 30,319 included victims of the storm who were staying yards away at the George R. Brown Convention Center, which is the city’s biggest shelter and is housing more than 9,000 people. The Astros provided 5,000 tickets to each game for the mayor’s office to distribute at the convention center.

The Astros wore patches on the upper left side of their jerseys with the team logo and the word “STRONG” in block letters as a tribute to those affected by the storm. As George Springer approached home plate after hitting a two-run homer in the second inning, he pounded the patch three times with his right fist and pointed to the fans.

“I hope it provides a smile or two,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “I hope it provides a break from what’s going through these people’s minds.”

The team honored first responders in a pre-game ceremony and played a video documenting the heroic work of people across the area. First responders were also given tickets to the game.

Two Coast Guard members were stopped from getting to their seats as a dozen fans lined up to thank them for their work.