In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, the Houston Astros have moved their upcoming home games across the Gulf to Florida.
The Astros will play two “home” series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, which is the home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays will be on the road in Kansas City and Chicago while the Texas team takes up residence in their stadium.
The decision hasn’t come without backlash, however — though none is directed at the Astros.
The first of the Astros’ two series in St. Petersburg will be against the Texas Rangers, a team based out of Arlington, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Rangers’ home field is a good 250 miles northwest of the Astros’ Minute Maid Park.
Initially, the Astros had asked the Rangers to swap these home games with a scheduled series in Arlington in September. The Rangers host the Astros from September 25-27, but the team declined to play those games in Houston as a switch for playing this week’s series up North.
Kelsey Driscoll 