Garcia gets the best of his boyhood idol

HOUSTON — During the first inning of his most dominant start this season Friday, Luis Garcia fulfilled a lifelong dream. He shares a common trait with many Venezuelans around his age, a love for one of their country’s greatest players and most accomplished ambassadors.

Before the series, Garcia said he had yet to meet his hero. He came face-toface with Miguel Cabrera with a runner on second base and one out, a tense early moment in a scoreless game.

Cabrera is a god to Venezuelan baseball players. Countryman Jose Altuve called him the best player their home has ever produced. Cabrera collected his 3,000th hit earlier this season. Hank Aaron, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, Rafael

Palmeiro, Eddie Murray and Cabrera are the only seven players with 3,000 hits and 500 home runs.

Cabrera, who doubled Saturday against Framber Valdez, is one of only three players (along with Pujols and Aaron) to total 3,000 hits, 500 home runs and 600 doubles. Garcia remains in awe of Cabrera’s accomplishments, but he did not want to be responsible for adding to them. He fired a firstpitch fastball to his boyhood idol.

Cabrera grounded it to Yuli Gurriel at first base for a crucial second out. As he jogged from the field, Cabrera chopped it up with Garcia. The pitcher flashed his trademark smile.

“He thought it was a cutter,” a giddy Garcia said after the Astros’ 3-2 win. “It was a fastball (at) 96 (mph). He thought it was a cutter.”

Garcia threw Cabrera a 96.2 mph four-seam fastball. He threw only four pitches harder all night.

When he faced Cabrera for the final time to start the sixth, Garcia got ahead of him 1-2 before delivering a putaway pitch. Cabrera guessed right this time. It did not matter. He swung through an 85.3 mph cutter. Garcia got the strikeout he’d dreamed of since childhood.

Chandler Rome

Meyers takes key step in rehab

Astros outfielder Jake Meyers hit live this week at the team’s West Palm Beach facility in Florida for the first time since his offseason shoulder surgery, but he’s still a ways out from playing a game, manager Dusty Baker said Saturday.

Meyers began throwing and hitting in the batting cages during spring training but hadn’t faced live pitching during his rehab. The outfielder was injured during Houston’s American League Division Series win over the Chicago White Sox and underwent surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder last November.

Meyers, who bats righthanded and throws lefthanded, is expected to resume hitting at full strength sooner than he can throw at full strength. He will require a minorleague rehab assignment before he returns to the Astros, though Baker on Saturday did not have a timeframe for when that might occur.

“To me, he’s a little ways off,” Baker said. “I mean, you got to go play. … So it’s gonna take a little while.”