'Pretty special moment': Hicks dominates Astros in H-Town homecoming

HOUSTON -- The country’s fourth-largest city turned into Hicksville on Monday night, courtesy of a native son.

Pitching in his hometown park for the first time in his seven Major League seasons, Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks dazzled against the Astros, allowing one hit and two walks while striking out six over six innings in San Francisco’s 7-2 series-opening victory.

Hicks, who attended Cypress Creek High School in Houston, had pitched in 29 other Major League venues before Monday. In his first appearance at Daikin Park, the 28-year-old threw an economical 72 pitches, including 51 for strikes.

“I’ve never even thrown out of the bullpen here, so it was really nice to have all the family come out, for them to experience it,” said Hicks, who said he had “probably north of 80” friends and family members on hand to cheer for him.

“I grew up coming here. It was special to be on the field where I used to watch the old ballgames,” added Hicks, who listed Lance Berkman, Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Michael Bourn, Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte among his favorite Astros growing up. “Pretty special moment.”

Giants manager Bob Melvin had been asked before the game if he thought Hicks would be inspired by or nervous about his first start in Houston.

“It certainly wasn’t the latter,” Melvin said. “Even talking to him after the game, he was up for this game, and you could see it right away. Pitch count was under control. Velocity was there. It came down a little bit there at the end. Seventy-five [pitches] was going to be max for him today, based on his workload in Spring Training. … He was about as good as we’ve seen him.”

Hicks, who allowed his lone hit -- a Christian Walker single -- with two outs in the first inning, retired 14 consecutive batters before issuing a one-out walk to Jose Altuve in the sixth.

Hicks’ most impressive inning was the second. Needing only 11 pitches, he fanned Jeremy Pe?a, Cam Smith and Mauricio Dubón, with each caught looking at a third-strike sinker.

“The sinker was on,” Hicks said. “They were giving me the outside corner. … If you’re going to let me have that outside corner, I’m going to try to paint it.”

Count Astros manager Joe Espada among the impressed.

"He had really good stuff. I tip my hat to him,” Espada said. “He had a two-seamer, threw some good four-[seamers], the sweeper. His last start in the exhibition game against Detroit in San Francisco, we saw the velo was up, so we were expecting him to come in throwing firm."

Hicks averaged 98 mph on the sinker for the night, maxing out at 100 on one pitch. That and two offerings hitting 99.9 mph gave Hicks three of the five hardest pitches thrown by a Giants starter since pitch tracking began in 2008. He fell just shy of a 100.2 mph pitch thrown by Carlos Rodon in 2022.

Wilmer Flores continued his hot start for San Francisco, homering for the third time this season and driving in four runs.

Flores got the Giants on the board in the second with a single that scored Heliot Ramos, who had stolen second after winning an appeal on what was originally ruled a 5-4-3 double play. Flores made the Astros pay for two walks in the sixth, hitting a three-run homer off Houston reliever Luis Contreras to put the Giants up 5-0. It gave Flores, batting seventh in the lineup, eight RBIs in San Francisco’s first four games.

“That spot comes up with guys on base all the time, and just to see a smile on his face and see the type of big hits and production that we’re getting out of him right now -- man, that really makes our lineup that much better,” Melvin said.

The Astros made it 5-2 on Isaac Paredes’ two-run double off Spencer Bivens in the eighth, but Matt Chapman got the runs back with a two-run single, his 900th career hit, in the ninth. Ryan Walker, who had been unavailable for the Giants’ last two games at Cincinnati because of back tightness, closed it out with a clean ninth.

An eighth-inning double gave Ramos an extra-base hit in four consecutive games to start the season. The last Giant to achieve that feat was Barry Bonds in 2002.