Astros debut 'Houston Strong' logo in return home after Hurricane Harvey

Mark Townsend
·Yahoo Sports Contributor
A look at the new Astros logo in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. (Astros on Twitter)
A look at the new Astros logo in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. (Astros on Twitter)

The Houston Astros returned to Minute Maid Park on Saturday for the first time since Hurricane Harvey ravaged the Texas coastline. And when they took the field, they had a slightly new look.

The Astros are showing their support for the city they call home and the community they cherish with a new logo designed to inspire strength in the aftermath of the terrible storm. The logo has the team’s usual normal ‘H’ on top of an orange star, and placed below it is the word ‘STRONG’ in bold letters.

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Houston STRONG is the message, and it’s a sentiment that was echoed all throughout the ballpark as the Astros prepared to play a rare home doubleheader against the New York Mets.

The new patch on the jersey sleeve will remain there for the rest of the season, postseason included.

The new logo was just part of the Astros homecoming on Saturday. Before the first game began, a special ceremony was held on the field honoring the victims of Hurricane Harvey, including Sergeant Steve Perez. Houston mayor Sylvester Turner was also on hand to throw out the first pitch.

Several Astros players put their own personal touch on the emotional homecoming. Check out these excellent cleats being worn by pitcher Joe Musgrove that were signed by evacuee children and volunteer workers.

Those are genuinely awesome.

Don’t forget, the Astros are also selling Houston Strong t-shirts, with one-hundred percent of the funds raised going to the American Red Cross.

First responders stand with the Houston Astros during the national anthem at Minute Maid Park on Saturday. (Getty Images)
First responders stand with the Houston Astros during the national anthem at Minute Maid Park on Saturday. (Getty Images)

The Astros are definitely doing their part to help Houston and the surrounding areas recover. You can read more about that from Yahoo Sports’ Tim Brown. But right now it’s back to baseball, which the Astros hope will give the city something to rally around for the next two full months.

If the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader was, they’re bound to do just that. Houston’s offense erupted for 17 hits in a 12-8 win. The Astros scored seven of their runs in the first two innings, with seven coming against Mets starter Matt Harvey. Pretty fitting, we’d say.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!