Hundreds of Astros fans clad in orange jerseys and T-shirts crowded downtown Houston early Friday, waving banners and pennants hours ahead of a parade to honor their World Series championship team.
Many fans played catch in front of City Hall, where a rally will he held after the parade begins at 2 p.m. The crowd roared with cheers and applause when someone started playing Queen’s classic song, ‘We Are the Champions.’
Several cars drove along the parade route before the roads were closed to traffic, honking their vehicles’ horns as drivers and passengers waved to fans along the way.
Houston Astros fans gather before a parade honoring the World Series baseball champions on Friday
Manuel Mejia and his 15-year-old son, Jonah, had snatched a key spot along the route by 9 a.m.. The pair set up four foldable chairs at a street corner where they’ll be able to see the start and end of the parade.
‘I’m just trying to get a good spot. It’s going to get packed,’ the 43-year-old father said, noting he’s been an Astros fan since his father took him to his first Astros game when he was 8 years old.
But he said the World Series win is great for all of Houston, as the city continues to recover from Hurricane Harvey and the devastating rains and flooding that followed the storm.
‘For the city, this is great,’ Mejia said.
The Astros took home their first championship in franchise history with a Game 7 win Wednesday in Los Angeles against the Dodgers. Playing for a city still recovering from Hurricane Harvey, and wearing an ‘H Strong’ logo on their jerseys, the Astros won the title that had eluded them since they started out in 1962 as the Colt .45s.
The new champs will be honored with a parade that will travel through downtown Houston, culminating in a rally where Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner will be the master of ceremonies.
The Houston school district cancelled classes on Friday so students, staff and their families could attend the parade.
Houston Astros fans celebrate before a parade honoring the World Series baseball champions on Friday
Houston Astros fans celebrate before a parade honoring the World Series baseball champions on Friday
Houston Astros fans celebrate before a parade honoring the World Series baseball champions on Friday
Houston Astros’ George Springer arrives to Houston holding the Commissioner’s Trophy on Thursday
Fans cheer as the Houston Astros return to Minute Maid Park after winning the 2017 World Series
Fans cheer as the Houston Astros return to Minute Maid Park after winning the 2017 World Series
Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa appeared on the Today show Friday morning with his new fiancée to detail their heartwarming live TV engagement after winning the World Series
Astros shortstop Carlos Correa appeared on the Today show Friday morning with his new fiancée to detail their heartwarming live TV engagement moments after he won the World Series.
In the middle of a TV interview after the Astros’ victorious Game 7, Correa got down on one knee and asked his girlfriend Daniella Rodriguez to marry him.
Rodriguez said yes, put the humongous rock on her finger and the rest is history.
On the show, Correa said he had been planning to pop the question for about a month.
‘I really wanted to do it. I was waiting for the right time to do it. I knew we had championship potential in our team. I was waiting it out. We were able to win. So for me, that was Plan A. I’m glad Plan A worked because I didn’t have a plan B,’ he said with a laugh.
If they hadn’t won, Correa said he may have taken Rodriguez to ‘the beach or something’ and popped the question there.
Rodriguez says she was completely taken by surprise because her boyfriend had been so focused on the baseball.
‘It was something that I never imagined him doing, especially there. He was so focused on all those games that when he got down on one knee I, like, was absolutely crying,’ Rodriguez said.
Correa added: ‘The only thing I was talking about during those days was baseball, baseball, baseball. It was Game 7, I was laser-focused on just playing baseball that she would have never thought that I was going to propose at that point.’
When asked if he kept the ring in his pocket during the game, Correa said he didn’t because it was ‘way too big’ for his pocket.
‘I could not slide with it in my back pocket,’ he said. ‘But in the ninth inning, I went in the clubhouse and I told [indistinguishable] – I didn’t want to jinx anything, but if we get three outs, bring me my ring.’
The Astros did get those outs, and today Correa and his new fiancée are planning their nuptials.
The proposal – which was live on television – completely surprised Rodriguez, who has been with Correa for over a year
‘I knew we had championship potential, so I decided to hold out until the last game of the season,’ Correa said