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Houston Astros fans ready for the playoffs
The Houston Astros are set to play Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday and FOX 26's Sherman Desselle has fan reactions as they prepare for the playoffs.
HOUSTON - Houston Astros fans are grabbing gear, buying tickets, and hoping the team can swing for the ring for the second time in a row.
After a tougher stretch to the playoffs than their 2022 championship season, the Astros are preparing for Game 1 of the ALDS against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday at Minute Maid Park. The first pitch is set for 3:45 p.m.
The team has one request for its fans: "Come out Saturday, support us, wear orange ... let's go 'Stros!" outfielder Kyle Tucker said on the team's TikTok account.
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Fans were spotted picking up their new postseason merchandise at the team store Friday evening. The franchise is setting up a street festival before fans head into the park for Games 1 and 2.
As of Friday night, ticket apps like Seat Geek and Stub Hub have some tickets priced in the 400 sections as low as $40, and you may luck up in the 100 section for an average of $150.
Many of the fans we spoke to Friday are confident the team can sweep the Twins, or at least shut them out by Game 4 of the ALDS. Last year, U of H math professor Cathy Poliak had the Astros winning it all with a success rate of about 79 percent. This year, she thinks the chances are favorable for an ALDS and World Series victory, but with a smaller percentage of about 60 percent. That's based on their winning record in the regular season, which was not as strong as 2022. She says it makes for an interesting topic on campus.
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"I actually present this information in class," Poliak said. ''Most of them being at UH are Astros fans as well."
There's even some excitement in The Big Smoke over the 2022 World Series Champions. George Martin of London says his love for the franchise began in 1999. He chose the Astros as his first MLB team to become a fan of. "It was Mike Hampton that was the main inspiration for me to get behind the team," said Martin.
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He now organizes a UK-based fan club, and the group has a watch party planned in the Nine Elms area on Saturday night.
"It's a bit of a mixed bag here," said Martin. "You have people here who holiday in Houston. People from Scotland who work in the oil industry, ex-pats…I'm always on the lookout. My mission is to find more Astros fans and to work with the organization to push that. The UK is wide open for a major league baseball team."
You can find out more information about Game 1 of the ALDS here.