Astros had nice gesture for Oakland A’s lone All-Star
Jan 30, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; Dusty Baker speaks after being announced as the Houston Astros manager during a press conference at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
The Houston Astros had a nice gesture for the Oakland A’s lone All-Star.
The A’s are 32-61 and the worst team in the American League this season. So they only had one selection for the Midsummer Classic: Paul Blackburn. The team was going to send Blackburn to the All-Star Game in Los Angeles on a commercial flight. But the Astros decided to step in and help.
Houston offered to give Blackburn a lift to LA on their chartered flight. The idea worked naturally since the A’s were in Houston for a series against the Astros that ended Sunday. Plus, Houston had five players elected to the game, and their coaching staff went too.
.@Athletics All-Star pitcher Paul Blackburn was set to fly commercial from Houston to LA. The Astros found out & offered him a ride on their charter: “It shows within Baseball it’s like a brotherhood. Everyone respects each other..I’m greatly appreciative of their organization” pic.twitter.com/uH5ejNLL87
— Mark Berman (@MarkBermanFox26) July 19, 2022
“It was just brought to me and asked if I wanted to fly with them. And I said ‘yeah, if Dusty [Baker] would allow that, then yes, of course,'” Blackburn told FOX 26’s Mark Berman.
Blackburn appreciated the gesture from Houston.
“It’s awesome. It just kind of shows that within baseball, it’s kind of like a brotherhood,” Blackburn said.
Blackburn, 28, is in his sixth season in MLB and by far having his best year. He’s 6-5 with a 3.62 ERA this season. Maybe Houston is laying some groundwork for when the pitcher becomes a free agent.
