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The hope, the order, in the minds of the fans were clear: start again.
When the Astros won last year, it was against all odds. A chronically underachieving franchise that had never won a World Series championship, in a city battered by Hurricane Harvey and at one of its lowest points in decades.
In this context, the Astros have thrown the book of rules and announced to the world: We are the best.
On Friday, fans arrived early at Minute Maid Park. They came from every corner. They dressed in orange. They shouted. They applauded. They had hope: start again.
After their victory in the World Series, the team has had an already historic season, winning the most regular season games since the team began playing as an Astros in 1962. More of fans have flooded Minute Maid than ever since 2007.
On Friday, Nathan Bishop and Jonathan Hall arrived early, driving a distance of 98 miles from College Station in Houston, two blocks from the Minute Maid, where music resounded in the streets.
Bishop, a fan of always, has often gone to games. Then, last year, he saw the team play against Boston and New York over the seasons.
They even went to Los Angeles for the second game of the World Series, to watch the Astros write history with their first World Series win. Like so many fans, they hoped the team would reach the same stage – and beyond – to allow the historically underperforming Astros to take its place alongside other historic franchises.
"Everyone loves these players," said Hall, a rugged Aggie wearing a bright orange jersey from Carlos Correa. "It would be nice if this team (in particular) is an Astros dynasty and these players."
A few blocks away, Dora Latham, from Friendswood, was sitting on a Texas Avenue bench, waiting for her family to meet and go to the stadium.
She has been following this team for decades and even has a habit of attending minor league matches at Buffalo Stadium.
"We've come a long way before having a World Series team," said Latham, a 84-year-old grandmother of five who attended a final live match at the Astrodome .
His son, Tom Latham, who has been living in Seattle, Washington for 30 years, flew to the match.
Friday, his allegiance was clear.
"He's not a sailor," Latham laughed. "He's still Texan."
Like so many other Houstonians, Latham watched the floods fill his home. And, like so many others, she found hope and inspiration in the Astros, watching the team regroup, eliminating the cards one after the other and winning the first league title in Houston.
A few hours before the opening of the American League Division series, she could only hope for a similar magnitude.
"I hope they will win," she said. "I hope they hit well."
After three rounds, they would do it, hitting four points on the board.
In Section 155 of Minute Maid, Sister Mary Margaret, 74, Sister Marian Grace, 85, and Sister Mary Zachary, of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament, watched in amazement as the sea of orange.
They were there for their colleague, Sister Scholastica, who was sick and could not attend. The Astros would win for her, they said.
"I love them, they play as if it's a game, not as a matter of life and death," Sister Mary Zachary said, "They're not mean, they play like boys, like what they like." they do, they are our team. "
Sister Mary Margaret, meanwhile, had no doubts.
"They are prepared," she said, as Justin Verlander delivered another withdrawal. "Last year was wonderful – thanks to (win after) Harvey. This year, they will win just because they are on top – and they want to stay there. "
At the first level of the contest, Manny Rojas, 32, was anxiously watching his wife, Vanessa Rojas, 33, and Arthur and Lynsey Martinez, 33 and 31 years old.
Rojas was well prepared: a fedora, a jersey, shorts, socks, an Astros flag draped over his shoulders and a replica of the team's ring on his right hand.
They were in the same place as last year when they watched the team face the Dodgers: first level, behind section 154.
"We had to repeat the whole mojo," joked Rojas.
Passionate and amateur player, he had seen the seasons pass, always full of hope. Then, inevitably, those dreams would be broken.
"For Houston, we would always have the impression that" it is our year, it is our year, "he said.Last year, I felt different, especially watching the team in the devastating context of Harvey.
"It just shows the strength of Houston and Houston – and the value of a committed team in their city," said Rojas. "When you play for more important things than a trophy, magical things happen."
Rojas, who frequently travels to other cities to observe the team, said he noticed more proud, more orange fans.
"It says a lot about Houston and how fans see each other," he said. "Now we are a fan base, not just a movement."
St. John Barned-Smith is the public safety officer for the Houston Chronicle. Follow on Twitter and Facebook. Send tips to [email protected].
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