Astros shortstop Alex Bregman's birthday celebrations marred by Opening Day embarrassment
A night of celebration and fanfare at Minute Maid Park was brought to an abrupt halt by the Chicago White Sox after they edged the Astros' 3-2 on the opening day, handing the defending champions their first loss in a season opener as a member of the American League.
Final: White Sox 3, #Astros 2
"Final: White Sox 3, #Astros 2," Houston Astros, Twitter
It was a particularly disappointing night for Astros shortstop Alex Bregman, whose 29th birthday was marred by the Opening Day embarrassment.
Bregman, who went 0-for-4 in the game, was given a classy birthday shoutout by renowned actor Mark Wahlberg during pregame!
Known Houston Astro fan Mark Wahlberg. https://t.co/UUKXgdsLbL
"Known Houston Astro fan Mark Wahlberg," Houston Astros, Twitter
“Sometimes you get knocked down and you got to keep getting back up and keep going,” Bregman said. “It’s a long season. It’s 162 big ones. Turn the page to the next day and keep going. Definitely not the way you wanted a birthday to go.”
The Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox are slated to play against each other again tomorrow as part of their four-game mini-series.
Alex Bregman is a two-time World Series champion
Alex Bregman was selected by the Houston Astros as their second pick in the first round of the 2015 MLB draft and made his MLB debut a year later in 2016.
Bregman, who established himself as a starter in 2017, culminated the season in the best way possible by winning the 2017 World Series with the Astros. Selected as an All-Star in 2018, Bregman was named MVP of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. He was elected an All-Star once again in 2019 and went on to win the Silver Slugger Award that year too.
Alex Bregman. World Series Champion.
The billboards are now live statewide. #LSUMLB https://t.co/vpJZ7wma9A
"Alex Bregman. World Series Champion. The billboards are now live statewide. #LSUMLB," LSU, Twitter.
Bregman won his second World Series last year with the Astros, becoming the all-time leader in postseason home runs (15) and runs batted in (47) for a third baseman in the process.