Yankees-Astros to play two today

Series MVP honors in 2000 against the crosstown rival New York Mets.

“I think any time Derek comes back it’s special, but this will be even more meaningful,” Yankeesmanager Joe Girardi said. “I think we’ve all been looking forward to it and I’m sure he’s looking forward to it.”

Jeter ranks at the top of the Yankees’ all-time list in hits, singles, doubles, stolen bases, hit-by-pitches, atbats and games played. His 3,465 career hits rank sixth in major league history, including eight seasons with at least 200.

“I have a lot of admiration and respect for how he went about his business,” said Astros manager A. J. Hinch. “Hemight have been the most consistent presence in our game.”

He’s the first Yankees’ player to have his number retired since teammates Andy Pettitte, Jorge Posada and Bernie Williams were honored in 2015.

“I will have our guys out here, to clap for him and be a part of it,” Hinch said. “We’ve got a couple guys that played with him.

“Those of us that have been in the game a long time will want to, and the young guys will be wowed by the show that comes with retiring a number, especially here.” DENVER >> Every now and then, Colorado Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela can still hear his mom’s voice when he’s on the field.

The voice he used to hear above all other voices as a kid: “Let’s go, baby!” she’d scream in Spanish.

He misses those comforting words.

Nidya Yusbelis Rondon never got the chance to see her son pitch in the majors, passing away last July of breast cancer in Venezuela. But he carries her spirit when he takes the mound, with “Nidya” stitched on his cleats and glove. He also scribbled “I love Nidya” — with a heart — in black marker inside his cap.

Then there’s this: He will get the start on Mother’s Day.

“She’s watching me,” the 22-year-old Senzatela said. “I know she is.”

Senzatela’s family was all about baseball. His dad bought him his first glove when he was a baby growing up in Valencia, Venezuela. His grandfather, a carpenter, made him a tiny wooden bat he used as a child.

And his mom, of course, was always the fixture — the one yelling from the stands. The one who greeted him after good games or bad with a big plate of chicken and rice. She was the one he could always talk to.

Starting out, he was a third baseman. His favorite players, though, were pitchers — Seattle flamethrower Felix Hernandez and standout Josh Beckett.

Given his cannon for a right arm, Senzatela was asked to switch to pitcher. No, he said. It could lead to a pro career, he was told, given his blazing fastball.

He grudgingly conceded.

“Yeah. It was a good move,” he laughed.

Senzatela was originally signed as a non-drafted international free agent in 2011, when he was just 16. He pitched two seasons in the Dominican Summer League, going 11-3 with a 1.19 ERA before heading off to the minors.

Leaving home — that was a big deal for him. He missed his family, which includes two older sisters and a younger one. His mom would call before every start, telling him the same thing.

“She’d say, ‘ You can do this. Let’s go. You’re good. You’ll do fine. I love you,”’ recounted Senzatela, who will swing a pink bat Sunday as part of Major League Baseball’s breast cancer awareness. “Every time. That’s what she’d say.”

Last season, he was off to a sizzling season with Double-A Hartford until he strained his right shoulder. He went on the disabled list twice last season and didn’t pitch again after June.