Why hasn't Ted Cruz ever thrown a first pitch for Astros?
As we head into Astros opening day, the question on every Texan's mind is: why hasn't the franchise's biggest fan thrown a first pitch? Texas Governor Greg Abbott and former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner have all been known to throw first pitches at a Texas baseball game. However, Senator Ted Cruz, a fan of the Astros, has not. This could be due to political motivations, with Abbott announcing he would not return to the league next year due to the MLB's stance on voting rights, which had moved its headquarters out of Atlanta due to Georgia's new election integrity laws. Cruz's team confirmed that he has never thrown a first pitch at an Astros game, but did not comment on whether he was invited to the game. Despite allegations of a "Cruz Curse" affecting Texas sports franchises, Cruz has denied these claims.
Publicerad : 4 veckor sedan förbi Brooke Kushwaha i Sports Politics
Governor Greg Abbott has done it. President George W. Bush famously did it as the nation mourned 9/11. Former Houston mayor Sylvester Turner has done it, as have Houston police chief Troy Finner and U.S. Senator John Cornyn.
All of these local power players have thrown out a first pitch at a Texas baseball game, so why hasn't Astros superfan Ted Cruz taken to the mound?
While Cruz's team did confirm that the Texas senator has never thrown a first pitch at an Astros game, his team did not comment on whether or not he has been invited to show off his fastball. The Astros franchise had not responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.
If Cruz is the one holding out on his favorite team, there could be political motivations. After throwing out the first pitch virtually at a Texas Rangers game in 2020, Governor Abbott announced the next year he would not be returning to the league in protest of the MLB's stance on voting rights. The national baseball organization had moved its headquarters out of Atlanta following Georgia's new election integrity laws.
"It is shameful that America’s pastime is not only being influenced by partisan political politics, but also perpetuating false political narratives," Abbott wrote in his 2021 letter to the MLB.
The omission could also be due to Cruz's own mixed history with the franchise. After attending every single one of the Astros' home postseason losses in 2023, sports fans declared that the Houston-based Republican was cursed and discouraged him from attending more games
To add injury to insult, in 2022 Cruz was hit by a can of hard seltzer at an Astros game. Just two weeks earlier, fans in New York booed the senator at an Astros game at Yankee Stadium.
Cruz, for his part, has vociferously denied any allegations of a "Cruz Curse" dooming Texas sporting franchises. After attending the Texas Longhorns' 37-31 loss to the Washington Huskies in January's College Football Playoffs, the senator pointed to his record of also supporting Lone Star State teams during periods of success.
"To all the dishonest press hacks blaming me for the Longhorn's heartbreaking loss, ok—if you give me the WINS I've cheered on too!," Cruz wrote on X. The senator proceeded to list sporting events he'd attended where outcomes haven't turned out so ruinously his home state teams, the Astros' World Series wins in 2017 and 2022 among them.
In any case, past misfortunes have never prevented the senator from returning to Minute Maid Park to cheer on his team. Perhaps 2024 will be the year Cruz breaks his so-called "curse" definitively.
Ämnen: Baseball, MLB, Houston Astros