HOUSTON — The Astros may have tried to fool Adolis García, switching out the naming sponsors of the stadium from Minute Maid to Daikin, but, whatever they call it, the place feels just like home.
Even with the boos.
On back-to-back nights, crowds of 40,000 have booed his every at-bat and every catch in the outfield, just like they have ever since García took receivership of the place during the 2023 AL Championship Series. Ever since, he’s been Public Enemy No. 1. And he’s revelled in it.
“When they boo me, it feels OK,” Garcia said after homering to center field in Friday night’s 7-3 win. “I’m focused on having a good game. I have to be the best me. But, yeah, the boos do give me a little boost.”
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Amid the boos, he also delivered what stood to be the game-winning hit Saturday in the top of the 11th, but Houston scored twice in the bottom of the inning to take a 5-4 win.
This kind of boost: Garcia is 14 for 40 (.350) with four homers and a 1.084 OPS in Minute Maid/Daikin since the Rangers came back for the final two wins of the 2023 ALCS, in which he was named the MVP. Any signs of the struggles he’s had since, have been left outside the gates. It’s always nice to have a home away from home.
But the homer Friday may have been more important than for simply trolling Astros fans. It may be the most definitive indication to date that García has turned a corner in this season or at least made some kind of adjustment.
It was his second consecutive game with a homer, which was notable since that hadn’t happened since the first weekend of the season. It also made it his second homer of the week, which is something he unbelievably hasn’t done – hit two homers in a week – since late April.
And more: He’s now extended both his hitting streak and on-base streak to a season-high eight games. He entered Saturday hitting .300/.327/.520/.847 over his last 50 at-bats. All signs indicating a trend upward.
“He’s showing up every day with the same energy,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “I love the adjustment he’s made with his swing. He’s staying back better and he’s gathering himself on the back side. It’s enabled him to lay off more pitches than he used. And he’s got a shortened up two-strike approach. I love the way he’s approaching things with two strikes.
“He had gotten into some bad habits. We backed off him a little bit, and gave him a little time out. But he’s worked on things and he’s just gradually getting better and better.”
That “time out,” came when he sat out a series against St. Louis, the team with which he made his MLB debut. At the time he sat down, he was slashing .208/.256/.371/.626, all numbers worse than the career lows he put up in 2024. Since the return, he entered Saturday slashing .270/.309/.438/.747, much more in line with his career totals. He had a .749 career OPS entering the season.
Facing the Astros is always good for lifting García’s spirts, but the lift started long before the boos greeted him this weekend.
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