Oswalt throws first pitch -- and pitches bourbon

HOUSTON -- Former Astros pitcher Roy Oswalt threw out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Game 2 of the American League Championship Series between the Astros and Yankees on Thursday at Minute Maid Park, a 3-2 win for Houston.

That wasn’t the only thing Oswalt was pitching.

Oswalt, who ranks second on the Astros’ all-time list with 143 wins, is set to release bottles of his new Houston 44 old fashioned, which is made by blending sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey (typically rye or bourbon).

The bottle design gives a nod to Oswalt, who wore No. 44 while playing for the Astros from 2001-10, and has an outline of the Houston skyline, including Minute Maid Park. On the neck is a depiction of the Gonzales cannon with the words “Come and Take It.” If you’re not familiar with that, you may want to brush up on your Texas history.

Oswalt said the drink is his top seller at the steakhouse he owns in Starkville, Miss., called 44 Prime. The drink was so popular that Oswalt decided to bottle it and sell it. The first run of 5,000 bottles will be available at the beginning of 2023.

Oswalt won 20 games for the Astros in 2004 and ‘05 in a rotation that included Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte, helping the Astros reach the playoffs. He won, at the time, the biggest game in franchise history when he held the Cardinals to one run in seven innings to win Game 6 of the 2005 National League Championship Series to send the Astros to their first World Series.

“It seemed like we turned the corner in ’04 and ’05 in making Houston a baseball city,” Oswalt said. “Everywhere you go now you see orange and Astros. Great for the city, great for the team.”

Oswalt’s trade to the Phillies signaled the start of Houston’s rebuilding process, which 12 years later has resulted in six consecutive trips to the ALCS, three pennants and one World Series championship.

“I think I told you guys about five years ago this was going to be a dynasty,” Oswalt said.