Espada gets cherished family reunion on Opening Day
Brian McTaggart
@brianmctaggartHOUSTON -- Prior to the first pitch of Thursday¡¯s Opening Day game against the Yankees, Astros manager Joe Espada glanced towards the stands and gave a wave to his parents, who had made the trip from their home in Dallas to Minute Maid Park. There was no way Espada¡¯s mother, Miriam, and father, Loly, were going to miss the biggest day of their son¡¯s career.
¡°That was a big moment,¡± Joe Espada said.
Espada, hired by the Astros on Nov. 13 to replace the legendary Dusty Baker, cherished his first Opening Day as a manager -- a day that began when he ate breakfast with his wife and took his daughters to school and ended when he had dinner with his parents after a 5-4 loss to the Yankees. The results aren¡¯t what Espada had in mind, but this Opening Day was about more than that.
¡°It was more than any other Opening Day,¡± Espada said. ¡°My family is in town, my parents are here, so I was able to catch up with them. ¡ It¡¯s an emotional roller coaster, but I¡¯ve been waiting for this day for a very long time. At the end of the day, it¡¯s about this game and getting these guys ready to play.¡±
Espada said Thursday¡¯s game was the first time his parents have been to Houston to see him, though they attended a game in Arlington last year. They returned home before Friday¡¯s game, but Espada plans to see them next weekend when the Astros are in Arlington to face the Rangers.
¡°As you guys well know, my dad is not in good health,¡± Espada said. ¡°I¡¯m excited he¡¯s here -- when I took the field for the anthem and I got to see him, that¡¯s special.¡±
Espada joked that his mother was going to second-guess every move he made in his managerial debut, and what good mother wouldn¡¯t have some advice for his son well into adulthood? Not this time.
¡°She was mom,¡± Espada said. ¡°She was not being the front office.¡±
Pamela Espada, who married Joe in 2009 while he was the infield coordinator for the Marlins, gave up her job as a pharmacist to be a stay-at-home mom while Joe grinded through his career. The couple has two children, 12-year-old Eliana and nine-year-old Viviana, who were at the game Thursday, too.
All in all, Espada said the day was everything he expected and anticipated while dreaming of being a manager, though his preparation was a bit different than his six years as bench coach in Houston. The only thing missing was a win.
¡°I have decisions I have to make now [that] I know will impact the team in the present and the future,¡± Espada said. ¡°My conversations with the coaches are a little bit different now, but the people around me have made me feel like I¡¯m ready for the season.¡±