Astros hear boos in Lakeland
José Altuve insisted he tuned out the hecklers. He couldn’t avoid a pitch that grazed him.
“He was hit in the foot (by Detroit’s Nick Ramirez). That ain’t nothing, you know what I mean?” Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said Monday after an 11-1 win over the Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Fla. “It wasn’t intentional.”
Altuve was loudly booed when he was introduced for his spring training debut, cheered when he struck out and called a cheater by several fans. Quite a difference from past years, when the AllStar second baseman was among the most popular players in the majors.
But that was before Altuve and his Houston teammates were implicated in the sign-stealing scandal that’s rocked baseball.
“We just heard a lot of noise, and that’s it,” Altuve said. “We were focused on playing baseball.
Altuve and fellow starters Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel all played for the first time in the exhibition season. After Houston opened the Grapefruit League in the stadium it shares with the World Series champion Washington Nationals, this was the first time the Astros were away from their complex — providing a taste of the reaction they might receive on the road this year.
STRASBURG NOT READY YET » Washington pitcher Stephen Strasburg will throw at least one more bullpen session before taking the mound in a spring training game.
The World Series MVP opted out of his contract to become a free agent following last season, then resigned with Washington for $245 million over seven years.
“It’s a combination of the workload last year but also just, it’s a long season so you’ve got to build up gradually for it,” Strasburg said of his measured pace.
Strasburg was 18-6 with a 3.32 ERA last season, topping 30 starts for the second time in his career and leading the NL with 209 innings. He went 5-0 with a 1.98 ERA in five postseason starts and one relief appearance, including wins in Games 2 and 6 of the World Series against Houston. MAEDA’S FIRST OUTING GOES WELL » Kenta Maeda got off to a memorable start for Minnesota, that’s for sure.
The Twins newcomer gave up a home run to Boston’s Andrew Benintendi to begin the game, prompting the former Dodgers pitcher to laugh later.
“First time facing hitters so I just wanted to get that feel back,” Maeda said through an interpreter. “And I wasn’t scheduled to give up a home run on the first hitter, just so you know.”
Maeda threw 37 pitches in two innings, allowing two hits with one walk and one strikeout in a 3-2 win. COLE MAKES DEBUT » Gerrit Cole struck out two and walked one over a hitless inning in his spring training debut for the New York Yankees against Pittsburgh.
Cole signed a $324 million, nine-year contract as a free agent after going 20-5 with a 2.50 ERA and 326 strikeouts last year for Houston.