Yordan Alvarez might have gotten a little unlucky in his first at-bat of the season. The Astros’ slugger crushed a shot toward the right-field foul pole that honestly looked like it was destined for a home run until the ballpark design got in the way.
The ball hit the roof scaffolding at Daikin Park and bounced into foul territory, an extremely unlucky moment for Alvarez.
Joe Espada wasn’t thrilled, of course, arguing with the umps and even going to replay, but the call stood. Alvarez later struck out for the second out of the inning, so that home run chance never materialized.
It was a very frustrating moment and one that is hard to come back from. The timing was perfect, the connection solid, and yet the park itself intervened.
Daikin Park has a retractable roof, which was closed for Opening Day even though it was sunny and in the low 80s. Hits like this are rare, mostly happening when someone launches a ball straight up and near the foul pole. Still, it is kind of wild to think a stadium feature can have that much influence on a play.
Alvarez will have more opportunities to hit homers, and there is no doubt that he will. But for the Astros, that little roof interference was one of those strange moments that have a way of humbling even the best hitters.
Hopefully, the next time Alvarez steps to the plate, the only thing he has to worry about is the pitcher, not the stadium architecture.