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HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Bad news, good news, Astros fans.
The bad news is the ‘Stros continued some of that down-home futility Friday night when they dropped their series-opener with the San Diego Padres.
Timely hits in the middle of San Diego’s order combined with a shut-down pitching performance by Cy Young Award contender Blake Snell befell the Astros in an 11-2 defeat.
The good news: Houston remains the American League West leader with 19 games left. The Astros kept a half-game lead over the Seattle Mariners, who lost a three-run game in Tampa Bay. And for added measure, the Oakland Athletics continued to pile onto the Rangers’ woes at home, defeating Texas, 6-3.
The Rangers remain three games back from the Astros.
So, what’s on tap for the Astros? They play the second of a six-game homestand on Saturday against the San Diego Padres, who are currently out of playoff contention but boast some dangerous batters, including Manny Machado and Juan Soto.
Astros game with San Diego ushered in Chas Chomp
Some Astros fans can credit – or blame – the Padres for being the other team that Houston faced when a cult-like rally cry was invented more than two years ago.
The Chas Chomp, which is done with fans clapping with out-stretched arms while chanting Chas McCormick’s first name, can claim a Houston home game with San Diego as its birthplace.
‘Stros fan Scott Agruso told the Houston Chronicle’s Matt Young about attending an extra-inning contest with the Padres in town back on May 28, 2021, and starting up the chomp every time McCormick was at bat.
That invention caught on with his section of the ballpark, he says, and it would be used again in following games, Agruso said.
It also apparently serves as a barometer of how well McCormick is playing. Agruso said McCormick’s batting average picked up in the first 16 games that he and a friend did it in person.
A lot has indeed changed for McCormick since the Chas Chomp came to life. McCormick has played in two straight World Series, winning a title in his second trip against his hometown team, the Phillies.
During the 2022 World Series, he was the centerpiece of an improbable, game-saving catch against the outfield wall in Game 5.
He has also earned an AL Player of the Week award, and he’s crossed the 20-home run mark this season, which is a career-high.