Josh Hader's wife Maria reacts to Astros leading NL West for the first time in 2024
The Houston Astros have completed a remarkable turnaround after a historically poor start to the 2024 season. Astros closer Josh Hader's wife celebrated the team's success after Saturday's win over division rivals, the Seattle Mariners.
The Astros stared down a 10-game deficit after their shutout loss against the Chicago White Sox on June 18. The loss against the worst side in MLB this season highlighted the glaring issues handicapping the Astros.
However, almost a month later, the Astros are back in familiar territory, top of the American League West. Houston got over the line against the Mariners for a second consecutive game at T-Mobile Park to dethrone Seattle from the summit on Saturday.
The Astros are leading the division for the first time this season, and Josh Hader's wife Maria shared a message on her Instagram story to celebrate the team's success.
"Things we love to see," Maria captioned the story.
Maria hails from Corpus Christi, Texas, and married Josh Hader in 2019. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, Lucas Alexander Hader in June 2022 while the All-Star closer was with the Milwaukee Brewers before being traded to the San Diego Padres in August.
Josh Hader shines bright in Houston Astros' remarkable winning stretch
The Astros signed five-time All-Star Josh Hader to a five-year, $95 million contract in January to solidify their bullpen. However, the three-time NL Reliever of the Year didn't make the best start to the 2024 season, in sync with the team's record-breaking horror start.
However, Hader has been at the heart of the turnaround for the Astros as the team has managed 19 wins in their last 25 games. The Astros reliever pitched a scoreless inning in Saturday's win, a fifth consecutive scoreless outing, earning him his 20th save of the season. He seems on pace to match his All-Star campaign's tally of 33 saves last season.
It is in stark contrast to the former Padres closer's form earlier this season when he conceded a run in four of his six outings between June 25 to July 7. Buoyed by their pitching resurgence after an injury-hit start, the Astros will hope to build more of a gap over the Mariners during Sunday's series finale.