UVALDE, Texas — The Houston Astros are bringing their World Series trophy to Uvalde on Thursday.
The trip is part of a tour around the state the team is doing this month following their 2022 World Series victory.
The Astros are calling the trip "The Caravan" and it also includes stops in the Houston area and Corpus Christi.
The Astros Caravan arrived Thursday in Uvalde, with two players and their World Series trophy.
They visited Flores and Uvalde Elementary Schools as well as the Uvalde Civic Center. They say they were thrilled to bring smiles to the faces of fans, young and old, here in Uvalde.
"They're big fans. I mean we're all big fans. So we decided to skip school and come bring the boys for a little while," said Fernando Esquivel who brought his son Brandon and nephew Derek who both play little league to the Uvalde Civic Center to meet a couple of their idols. They skipped class today but they know school is important. Esquivel said, "Their mom is a teacher and their dad is a teacher but sometimes a little break from the norm is good for the heart too."
"I know the Astros Foundation is going to do everything in their power to be here for Uvalde," said 3rd baseman Alex Bregman who made the trip, along with pitcher Lance McCullers. They say this stop in Uvalde is a must. McCullers told us, "The Astros want to be here for the city and the community and as individual players we want to here. We want to show up and let people know that we are here to support them and it is something that we're not just gonna forget about and just kinda let it go by."
Fans brought all sorts of things for the players to autograph like shirts and pictures. Each getting some shots with the trophy and the players themselves who even had some advice for our two young up and coming ball players. Bregman said, "I think if your heart is in it you'll practice in this league to be where you want to be." McCullers added, "Play the game with a smile on your face. It's a fun game to play so always remember that."
The Astros say they're committed to helping Uvalde heal through baseball. The team hosted "Uvalde Strong Day" in August, bringing ten buses of residents to the game. Faith Mata, who lost her sister Tess Mata in the shooting, threw out the first pitch.
For the Uvalde trip, the team tweeted that the trophy will be at the Uvalde Civic Center from noon to 2 p.m. and Shooting Stars will be at the H-E-B on Main Street in Uvalde from noon to 2 p.m.
Tuesday, the Astros players and the Shooting Stars had an early dinner at Whataburger by the Bay in Corpus Christi.
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