HOUSTON -- Jose Altuve, the oldest player on the Astros who was starting for the 13th time on Opening Day, drew huge cheers when he ran out to left field to take his new position before the Daikin Park crowd, later calling it one of the happiest moments of his career.
¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting that, but that¡¯s amazing,¡± Altuve said.
Then there was top prospect Cam Smith, the youngest player on the club, bringing three dozen glazed donuts to the clubhouse before the game and then igniting the fans when he singled to right field in the second inning on the first pitch he saw in the big leagues.
¡°They all liked [the donuts], so that¡¯s a good thing,¡± Smith said.
That was only the start of the fun for the Astros.
All-Star left-hander Framber Valdez tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing two walks while striking out four batters, as the Astros held on for dear life to beat the Mets, 3-1, on Thursday afternoon. Closer Josh Hader loaded the bases in the ninth before striking out Juan Soto -- the Mets¡¯ $765 million right fielder -- to end the game and strand the tying runs on base. It was the 200th save of Hader¡¯s career.
"He got me on that one,¡± Soto said. ¡°It was a pretty good pitch, a slider down and away. I wasn't expecting it. It just happens."
Valdez, who leads the Majors in outings lasting at least seven innings (55) since 2020, recorded eight ground-ball outs and four flyouts and allowed only one runner past second base. It¡¯s the third time in four Opening Day starts that Valdez didn¡¯t allow a run. He threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings against the Angels in ¡®22 and five scoreless against the White Sox in ¡®23.
¡°I¡¯m just throwing my best pitches I can and letting the game speak for itself and not being scared of any hitter out there,¡± Valdez said. ¡°I¡¯m throwing strikes and attacking the zone.¡±
The Astros didn¡¯t manage an extra-base hit, but they got RBIs from Jake Meyers on a fielder¡¯s choice in the second inning and on a Yainer Diaz single in a two-run third against Mets starter Clay Holmes -- the game¡¯s only hit with runners in scoring position.
¡°We were disciplined, patient, [drew] five walks,¡± Astros manager Joe Espada said. ¡°I thought we did a nice job. Early in the game, we were kind of pulling the ball on the ground, then we shifted our focus to the middle of the field and we started getting all those hits up the middle. I thought we did a really nice job adjusting there on Holmes. You get in the ¡®pen, and it builds up for the next couple of games in the series.¡±
After starting at second base on Opening Day in 12 of the previous 13 seasons, Altuve, a nine-time All-Star, debuted in left field and immediately took charge of the position. He cut in front of Meyers in left-center to make a running catch in the gap to end the first, and he called off shortstop Jeremy Pe?a to make a catch in left in the sixth.
¡°I know Jake called that one, but I was on my way there so I said I want to get my ball,¡± Altuve said. ¡°Then Pe?a, I got priority over him so he¡¯s got to get out of the way.¡±
Smith slapped a first-pitch single to right field in his first at-bat in the second and wound up going 1-for-3 and earning huge cheers from the sellout crowd. He gave the ball to his stepdad and made a point to soak in every moment of his Major League debut.
¡°Before the game, for the first time ever, I had to force myself to eat,¡± he said. ¡°I was not hungry at all. I think the nerves were kicking in. I definitely felt that energy before I got on the field. Just to go out there and wave to the fans and connect with the fans, it was awesome. It was such a great feeling.¡±
The nerves were at their highest for Espada in the ninth when Hader allowed the first three batters to reach, including a 12-pitch walk to Luisangel Acu?a, to load the bases. He got Francisco Lindor to hit a sac fly for the second out before striking out Soto swinging on a 3-2 slider to end the game.
¡°I got one of the best closers in the game,¡± Espada said. ¡°That¡¯s how I felt.¡±