Brent Strom, pitching coach for the Houston Astros, speaks with lifelong Astros during a World Series celebratory event in 2017.
Before the Houston Astros game against the New York Yankees on Wednesday, Tucsonan Gertrude Greenfield threw out the ceremonial first pitch, caught by All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve. It was Greenfield’s 101st birthday, and, amazingly, Altuve hit his 101st career home run that night. The Astros selected Greenfield to throw out the first pitch because she is the mother-in-law of Tucsonan Brent Strom, the Astros’ pitching coach. Gertrude is used to being around sports figures. Her late husband, Tom Greenfield, was one of the top football players in Arizona history, an All-Border Conference lineman in 1936 as part of the “Blue Brigade” era, the first Wildcat ever to play in the NFL, as part of the 1939 Green Bay Packers.
