Guest past by the new center field mural on Opening Day at Daikin Park, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Guest Services worker Lillie Jackson cleans the seats and hand rails before guest enter Daikin Park on Opening Day, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Houston. Jackson has worked the section for 18 of here 19 seasons. “I just try to take care of all my guest,” Jackson said paying particular attention to areas children put their hands. “I can’t get it all spotless, but I do my best so everyone has a great game experience.”
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Opening Day merchandise is seen before an MLB Baseball game at Daikin Park, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
Bobbie Orr wears a decorated Astros-themed hat with pins before MLB baseball game on Opening Day at Daikin Park, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Houston.
Jason Fochtman/Houston Chronicle
The Houston Astros open the 2026 season today at Daikin Park against the Los Angeles Angels.
After missing the postseason for the first time since 2016, the Astros are focused on a return.
Follow along with our staff at Daikin for all the opening-day scene and news.
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Hunter Brown gets Oswald Peraza to ground out to second to leave the bases loaded in the fourth inning. It’s still 0-0. — Greg Rajan
An infield hit by Logan O’Hoppe loads the bases with two outs for the Angels. Oswald Peraza, the No. 9 hitter, is coming up with a chance to bring in the game’s first run. — Greg Rajan
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Hunter Brown navigated his first 13 batters without allowing a hit, though he did issue three walks. An infield single by Yoan Moncada, on a bouncer over Brown’s head, ended any chance of an opening day no-hitter. Jo Adell followed with a clean single through the right side of the infield. — Matt Kawahara
The pitchers are ahead of the hitters so far. The Astros had the best scoring threat of the day with the bases loaded in the third. — Greg Rajan
Kurt Suzuki, managing his first game for the Angels, intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez with a runner on second and two outs in the third inning of a scoreless game. Isaac Paredes then drew a walk to load the bases for Carlos Correa and spur a mound visit. Correa got a 99 mph sinker in the air, but for a harmless fly out to left. — Matt Kawahara
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The Astros have loaded the bases on three walks, including an intentional one to Yordan Alvarez, with two outs in the third inning. Carlos Correa is coming up with the score still 0-0. — Greg Rajan
Jake Meyers draws a nine-pitch walk with one out in the third inning, arguably the best Astros plate appearance of the day against José Soriano. — Greg Rajan
Hunter Brown just walked Mike Trout for the second time, giving the Angels a runner with two outs in the third inning. Brown has yet to retire the side in order today. After striking out Nolan Schanuel to end the inning, Brown is at 58 pitches through three. — Greg Rajan
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Angels starter José Soriano had a 4.26 ERA last season, but he was tough in two starts against the Astros. Soriano threw 13 ⅔ innings in those two starts, allowed one run and four hits and struck out 18. He just blew a 100.4 mph four-seamer past Carlos Correa for a strikeout in the second inning.
Soriano induced 15 whiffs on 24 swings his first time through the Astros’ order. — Matt Kawahara
The Astros fail to advance Joey Loperfido, who’s retired on a fielder’s choice to end the inning. — Greg Rajan
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The Astros’ first hit of the season is an opposite-field hit by Joey Loperfido through the left side with one out in the second inning. — Greg Rajan
Hunter Brown has not allowed a hit through two innings, but the Angels are making him work. His command is not pinpoint and Angels hitters are being patient. Brown is already at 43 pitches. The Angels have taken 15 swings and whiffed just four times. — Matt Kawahara
Hunter Brown’s next pitch will be his 40th. He’s recorded five outs so far. — Greg Rajan
Angels starter José Soriano strikes out two in the first inning, with five combined whiffs in that first inning. — Greg Rajan
That roof shot by Yordan Alvarez was something else. It’s not all that uncommon to see a high-hit ball hit the roof around the infield, but not sure I’ve seen one hit the roof that deep in the outfield. He’d rather hit another one into the Michelob Party Deck, but that was another impressive feat on his ledger. — Matt Young
Yordan Alvarez just hit a ball so high that it clanged off a piece of scaffolding on the ceiling of Daikin Park. It might have been a home run but caromed foul and was ruled a foul ball. Joe Espada conferred with the umpires, who are reviewing the play. It’s ruled a foul ball. — Matt Kawahara
Hunter Brown, who ranked third in the American League with 206 strikeouts last year, struck out three Angels in his first inning around a walk to Mike Trout. Brown needed 22 pitches to get through the first. He finished Zach Neto with a fastball and Nolan Schanuel and Jorge Soler with curveballs. — Matt Kawahara
Hunter Brown’s second pitch of this game was a 98.6 mph sinker. It’s tied for the second-fastest sinker he has thrown in the majors, per Baseball Savant. He then finished a strikeout of Zach Neto with a 97.7 mph four-seamer at the top of the zone. — Matt Kawahara
Former Astros reliever and member of the 2022 World Series team Ryan Pressly delivered the “Play Ball” call to many cheers from the Daikin Park crowd. Pressly retired this offseason and is the newest member of the Space City Home Network broadcast crew. — Sam Warren
Astros bench coach Omar López threw out the first pitch to bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte with both wearing their Team Venezuela jerseys. Bracamonte had on his gold medal from Team Venezuela’s win in the World Baseball Classic. — Matt Kawahara
For the first time since the 2021 home opener, the Astros didn’t unveil an American League West championship pennant. Their reign atop the division ended last season after winning every full-season West title beginning in 2017. — Greg Rajan
When Jeremy Peña returns to the lineup, and the Astros’ infield is at full strength, Dana Brown reiterated today that “the plan is that (Isaac) Paredes is going to play multiple positions.” Paredes remains without a dedicated position in Houston’s infield surplus. Brown echoed that Paredes could see time at first base, second, third and DH.
“He’s got a lot of runway to get at-bats,” Brown said. “Look, we feel like in a season of 162 games these guys are going to play. Guys go down often with aches. So there’s going to be at-bats. We have a lot of competition there, we have a lot of depth, and we welcome that.” — Matt Kawahara
In finalizing their opening day roster, the Astros opted to carry prospect Brice Matthews in their final position player spot, while optioning outfield prospect Zach Cole to Triple-A Sugar Land.
“Brice really had a pretty good spring,” general manager Dana Brown said Thursday. “Hit the ball hard, stole some bases, can play multiple positions, looked really good out there. Really fine-tuned his two-strike approach, so he had a lot of quality at-bats.”
A right-handed hitter, Matthews could platoon in left field with left-handed Joey Loperfido in the early going. (Yordan Alvarez is also expected to make occasional starts in left). His defensive versatility offers manager Joe Espada options for in-game maneuvers, as well. — Matt Kawahara
Jake Meyers and Brice Matthews both played baseball at Nebraska and have been closely following the basketball team’s success this season. The Cornhuskers are in the Sweet 16 at Toyota Center after winning their first two games in school history in the NCAA Tournament. Will the pair be able to make it over for the 6:30 p.m. tip after a 3:10 p.m. first pitch for the Astros? Meyers isn’t too hopeful but will have plenty of friends and family at that game against Iowa. Matthews is holding out hope. — Sam Warren
While Joey Loperfido drew the opening-day start in left field for the Astros, Joe Espada indicated he will cycle multiple players through that position early in the season. Yordan Alvarez is expected to play some left field. And Brice Matthews, the lone right-handed hitter of those three options, is on the opening day roster as an option in left field, as well as at second base and center field.
“We’ll give these guys opportunities,” Espada said. “We’re going to play those guys out there and someone will take over and they’ll start getting more opportunities to play. But right now, I really like our roster, I like the flexibility I have and we’re going to see what we’ve got.”
Cam Smith will enter the season as the primary right fielder, Espada confirmed, reprising that role after his convincing spring. — Matt Kawahara
Astros bench coach Omar López is going to throw out the first pitch to the team’s longtime bullpen catcher Javier Bracamonte before today’s game. López was the manager of Team Venezuela, which won the World Baseball Classic earlier this month. Bracamonte served as his bullpen catcher. Ryan Pressly, who was the closer for the Astros’ 2022 World Series championship team, will call “Play Ball!” before the game. Pressly recently was added to the Space City Home Network broadcast team after he retired from baseball in January. — Matt Young
Christian Roa, the right-hander from Houston who attended Memorial High School and was in Astros camp this spring as a non-roster invitee, claimed a bullpen spot after allowing one run in 9 ⅔ innings in Grapefruit League play. Manager Joe Espada was asked pregame what he liked about Roa this spring.
“Strike throwing,” Espada said. “We asked him to do certain things against left-handed hitters and he did that, especially with his breaking balls. He used them effectively against both righties and lefties. And he’s a guy that can give you more than three outs, something that we’re going to need during the season.” — Matt Kawahara
If there was any question, it sounds like closer Josh Hader will definitely require longer than a minimum 15-day IL stint as he continues building up from a biceps issue. GM Dana Brown said “the goal is to get (Hader) to start facing some batters in mid-April.” Hader would likely need to face hitters multiple times before pitching in rehab games, so his recovery timeline could cover much of April. — Matt Kawahara
Jeremy Peña is “very close” to returning to the Astros’ lineup, general manager Dana Brown said. “He could be in there sooner rather than later. That’s why we put him on the roster. He feels really good.” — Matt Kawahara
Jeremy Peña is not in the Astros’ opening-day lineup, despite being on the season-opening roster. Peña is taking live at-bats this morning at Triple-A Sugar Land, a team spokesperson said, and expected to be at Daikin Park by first pitch. The indication is Peña was not yet ready to play a full game but is expected to be ready before 10 days, so the team didn’t want to start him on the injured list. Dana Brown and Joe Espada should provide more insight when they address the media later this morning. — Matt Kawahara
2B Altuve
DH Alvarez
3B Paredes
SS Correa
LF Loperfido
RF Smith
1B Walker
C Diaz
CF Meyers
P Brown
SS Neto
CF Trout
1B Schanuel
DH Soler
3B Moncada
RF Adell
LF Lowe
C O’Hoppe
2B Peraza
P Soriano
When: 3:10 p.m. Thursday
Where: Daikin Park
TV: Space City Home Network
Radio: 790 AM and 102.9 FM (Spanish)
The ceremonial first pitch will be a celebration of the World Baseball Classic, which was won by Team Venezuela, who was managed by Astros bench coach Omar López. López will throw out the first pitch to Javier Bracamonte, the Astros longtime bullpen catcher who also served that same role for Team Venezuela.
The Astros and SpotHero have a system in place to reserve lots and garages in advance. Prices are ranking from $20 to $85 but those can often change.
Tickets range from standing room only for $43.27 to $497.01 for third-base line lower level.