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Throngs of Houston Astros fans toasted the team’s second World Series title at Monday’s parade through the city streets, where cans of beer were alternately chugged by players and hurled at Senator Ted Cruz.
Footage of the Texas Republican surfaced on Twitter Monday afternoon, showing the 51-year-old Cruz adorned in team colors on the back of a Humvee that was creeping along the parade route. It was then that an unknown paradegoer hurled a can at Cruz, who put up a hand to deflect the incoming projectile as a Secret Service officer moved in to protect the Senator. Security then began pointing into the crowd to identify the suspect.
Houston police announced late Monday that a 33-year-old male was arrested without incident for the now viral incident, and faces assault charges.
That moment, and the intermittent ‘boos’ directed at Cruz, hardly spoiled the joyous occasion, and the Astros players did their part to ensure that no more beer was wasted. Reliever Ryan Stanek, for one, was seen chugging a few cans as he rode atop a double-decker bus through downtown Houston.
But nobody appeared to be happier than Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale, who pocketed a massive $75million in winnings after their World Series triumph. Mack, too, was aboard the buses and was seen celebrating his recent windfall with the players.
Also on board was Kate Upton, the model wife of pitcher Justin Verlander, as well as their three-year-old daughter, Genevieve.
Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said he encouraged fans coming to the victory parade to ‘arrive early, wear Astros’ colors, be loud and celebrate safely.’ The parade started at noon.
Yordan Alvarez hit a towering three-run homer and the Astros clinched their second World Series title in six seasons on Saturday, beating the Philadelphia Phillies 4-1 in Game 6.
The city said in a news release that the downtown parade after the Astros’ 2017 win brought in about 1 million people, and organizers expected about that many people to attend Monday’s parade.
Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, and Justin Verlander celebrate their second World Series title on Monday in Houston
Justin Verlander of the Houston Astros, his wife Kate Upton and their three-year-old daughter, Genevieve
Rapper Bun B (top right) ride with Jim McIngvale, aka Mattress Mack, during a parade to celebrate the Houston Astros 2022 World Series championship
Jim ‘Mattress Mack’ McIngvale (center) won $75 million when the Astros beat the Philadelphia Phillies in six games
Saturday’s win gave the Astros’ 73-year-old manager Dusty Baker his first title in 25 seasons as a manager
Fans cheer during a victory parade for the Houston Astros’ World Series baseball champions
Footage of the Texas Republican surfaced on Twitter Monday afternoon, showing the 51-year-old Cruz adorned in team colors on the back of a Humvee that was creeping along the parade route. It was then that an unknown paradegoer hurled a can at Cruz, who put up a hand to deflect the incoming projectile as a Secret Service officer moved in to protect the Senator. Security then began pointing into the crowd to identify the suspect, but it’s unclear if the person was caught
Fans cheer from a parking deck during a victory parade for the Houston Astros’ World Series baseball championship Monday
(Left) A fan waits for the World Series Parade to celebrate the team’s victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. (Right) Houston Astros mascot Orbit makes a “Pena” heart with his hands
Fans cheer during the parade to celebrate the Houston Astros 2022 World Series championshi
Saturday’s win gave the Astros’ 73-year-old manager Dusty Baker his first title in 25 seasons as a manager, the last three in Houston.
The Astros unsurprisingly partied hard after clinching the World Series over the Phillies on Saturday, and a new report put into perspective just how expensive their celebrations were.
Armed with over 250 bottles of 50 Cent’s Le Chemin Du Roi Brut champagne, Houston tallied a bill of more than $388,750 during their postgame party, according to TMZ.
There were also 10 Magnum bottles of the champagne, as well as a 15-liter bottle, as the players popped the bottles and sprayed each other with the pricey sparkling wine.
Players smartly wore goggles in the locker room during the title celebrations, as pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. was captured on video getting the bottle-popping started.
The Astros clinched the World Series with a 4-1 win over the Phillies Saturday night, as pitcher Framber Valdez allowed just one earned run in six innings to put Houston in great position to ultimately win the game.
Houston were heavy favorites in the series after winning 106 games in the regular season and sweeping the Yankees in the ALCS.
Kate Upton raises her arms in celebration near outside of a local dentist’s office as her husband, Justin Verlander, waves a flag
The Houston Astros shooting stars ride in the Houston Astros Championship Parade
Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman (2) second baseman Jose Altuve (27) starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) celebrate with the 2022 Commissioner’s Trophy
The Houston Astros may have won their second World Series in six years and been a consistent presence in the playoffs, but there are a lot of questions the team will need to address in the offseason.
Manager Dusty Baker and general manager James Click aren’t yet under contract. Several top players are free agents. Despite all of this, oddsmakers still expect the Astros to be one of the favorites to win it all next season. FanDuel Sportsbook has the team with the second-best odds to win the 2023 World Series behind the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The 73-year-old Baker won his first title in his 25th season as a major league manager Saturday night when the Astros dispatched Philadelphia in six games. He’s not thinking of calling it quits, even if he is the oldest manager to ever win a title.
‘I’ve always said if I win one, I want to win two,’ he said.
When pressed about his contract status and the future, Baker interjected and said things weren’t uncertain on his end.
‘I just want to live. Live and everything will be taken care of,’ he told The Associated Press. ‘I ain’t worried about none of that. I’m just going to enjoy today and I’m sure it will be taken care of.’
Manager Dusty Baker (pictured) and general manager James Click aren’t yet under contract. Team owner Jim Crane said he’ll address what’s to come for Baker and Click next week
Team owner Jim Crane said he’ll address what’s to come for Baker and Click next week.
Houston’s first title came in 2017, one that was tainted by a sign-stealing scandal that cost manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs, making way for Baker’s return to baseball. The baseball lifer was the strong leader the team needed to deal with the outside vitriol.
‘I think that’s what drove this team,’ he said. ‘That’s what motivated them. The boos and the jeers that we got all over the country, it bothered these guys, but it also motivated them at the same time. And it wasn’t an us against the world thing. It was more of a come together even closer type thing.
‘And what happened before, it doesn’t ever pass over completely,’ he said. ‘But we have turned the page and hopefully we’ll continue this run.’
Then there’s the issue of which players stick around. Ace Justin Verlander is expected to decline his $25 million player option for next season and become a free agent in the next few days.
Crane said he is hopeful the Astros can keep him after his remarkable comeback from Tommy John surgery this season. Verlander is expected to win his third Cy Young award after leading the majors with a career-low 1.75 ERA and topping the American League with 18 wins following an almost two-year layoff.
The 39-year-old didn’t address his future after Saturday’s win but did reflect on his path back to the game.
‘If I could have a pen and paper and have written out exactly what I would have wished would happen through my rehab and my first season back from Tommy John, I don’t know if I would have changed a thing,’ he said.
Astros manager Dusty Baker Jr. (12) and starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) throw beads and wave to the fans
First baseman Yuli Gurriel, who has started for Houston since 2016, is a free agent. The 38-year-old had a down regular season after winning the AL batting title in 2021. He heated up in the postseason before a knee injury knocked him out for Game 6 of the World Series, and said Saturday that he’d like to return next season.
Left fielder Michael Brantley, who missed most of the season with a shoulder injury, is also a free agent, as well as utility player Aledmyz Díaz and catchers Christian Vázquez and Jason Castro.
On the pitching side, reliever Rafael Montero, a key member of an Astros bullpen that held opponents to an 0.83 ERA in the postseason, is a free agent.
While the Astros could face several changes this offseason, one position where they look to be set for years is at shortstop. Rookie Jeremy Peña followed up a solid regular season with a remarkable performance in the playoffs that earned him MVP of both the AL Championship Series and the World Series.
The 25-year-old hit .400 in the World Series to become the first rookie position player to win the series’ MVP award. He filled in seamlessly for two-time All-Star Carlos Correa, who signed with Minnesota last offseason.
‘You have to make tough decisions in this job, and Jeremy’s making it look like it was an easy decision, and it wasn’t,’ Click said. ‘Carlos is a great player, and he’s been a huge part of this franchise. But to do what Jeremy did, to step in and elevate his game in the playoffs, it just speaks to his hard work, his character and the talent that he has. There’s not that many special guys on the planet that can do what he just did.’
Peña is looking forward to building on what he did this season.
‘This is what we expect in the organization,’ he said. ‘We built a culture on winning, and every year we show up and try to win every single ball game. We just try to win.’
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