Baseball

October 2, 2023

What Has More Lives: The Houston Astros or a Cat?

While the Astros found a way to steal the AL West regular-season crown, the Texas Rangers are falling apart at the worst possible time.

The Southwest Region champion Little League team from Needville, Texas, participates in the opening ceremony of the 2023 Little League World Series baseball tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023.

August 23, 2023

Needville’s Boys of Summer

Until recently, a new Sonic restaurant was the small Texas city’s big news of 2023. Now it’s Needville in the Little League World Series.

Texas Rangers' Ezequiel Duran (20), Marcus Semien (2) Max Scherzer, right, celebrate with the rest of the team after their 2-0 win inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.

August 4, 2023

Max Scherzer’s Rangers Debut Wasn’t His First Pro Start for a Texas Team

While negotiating his Major League Baseball rookie deal in 2007, the Texas Rangers' newest ace started his career with the independent-league Fort Worth Cats.

MLB Trade Deadline Column: Texas Rangers

July 31, 2023

The Texas Rangers Went All In at the Trade Deadline. Will the Houston Astros Follow?

A blockbuster deal for Max Scherzer is intended to shore up the Rangers' pitching rotation and keep the team atop the American League West standings.

The Michael Myers Astros Can't Be Killed

July 7, 2023

Where Do the Astros Keep Finding These Unsung Heroes?

The injury-depleted Astros should be having a nightmare season. But surprise performances from little-known players have kept Houston winning.

June 26, 2023

Meet the Dallas Weatherman Who Once Pitched to Bo Jackson

Before Pete Delkus was known for joshin’ it up on the news, he was a sidearm pitcher who nearly made it to the major leagues.

Horned Frogs at the College World Series

June 15, 2023

TCU’s “Wrecking Crew” Is Peaking Just in Time for the College World Series

The Horned Frogs have won 19 of their last 21 games and are undefeated in the postseason as they head to Omaha.

Dallas Baptist junior Nate Rombach (20) bats during an NCAA baseball game against Fordham on Saturday, Feb. 18, 2023, in Dallas, Texas. Dallas Baptist won 8-0.

June 1, 2023

How Dallas Baptist Became the Giant-Slayer of Texas College Baseball

No other school in the state—not UT, not A&M, not Texas Tech—has made the last nine NCAA tournaments in a row.

Splash in America’s Largest Indoor Waterpark This Summer in Round Rock

Cross off a few items on your bucket list this summer in Round Rock.

By TM Promotions

April 14, 2023

The Undertold Story of Jackie Robinson’s College Hoops Coaching Days

Before he began his pro baseball career, Jackie Robinson spent a season on the hardwood for Austin HBCU Samuel Huston College.

BBQ|

March 30, 2023

Finally, Some Good Barbecue for Texas Rangers Fans

Hurtado Barbecue, an Arlington favorite, is now open at Globe Life Field, serving giant beef ribs and birria tacos just in time for opening day.

By Daniel Vaughn

Texas Icons|

January 17, 2023

Nolan Ryan Threw as Hard as He Could for as Long as He Could

The most strikeouts ever. The most no-hitters ever. With those records, Nolan Ryan could afford to take it easy in retirement. But he never left the game behind.

World champion George Foreman on his way to the dressing room after he successfully defended his title, in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 27, 1974.

Texas Icons|

January 17, 2023

Sixteen of the Most Influential Texas Sports Icons of the Past 50 Years

From Staubach to Mahomes, Darrell Royal to Coach Pop, Lee Trevino to Simone Biles, here are sixteen figures who have defined Texas sports.

By Rafe Bartholomew

Business|

November 16, 2022

The San Antonio Missions’ New Superstar Owners Want to Bring the Team Downtown

The real estate developer who engineered a deal to buy the 134-year-old minor league baseball franchise thinks new team ownership can help transform the city’s urban core.

By Tom Foster

7:03

Texas Country Reporter|

September 14, 2022

This Houston Nun Waited Decades to Root for Her Home Team

In 2007, Texas Country Reporter met Sister Damian, the Houston Astros’ most patient and faithful baseball fan.

By Bob Phillips

Texas Oklahoma Little League Baseball hug

Best Thing in Texas|

August 10, 2022

At the Little League World Series, Texas and Oklahoma Hug and Make Up

There was crying in baseball after a Pearland pitcher beaned a Tulsa batter on Tuesday. What happened next might restore one’s faith in humanity.

Grasshoppers cancel baseball game in Midland in 1972

July 28, 2022

The Night That Grasshoppers Killed Texas League Baseball

Fifty years ago, a minor league game in Midland was postponed for the rarest of reasons—a swarm of grasshoppers biblical in its proportions.

Texas Playboys baseball player swings bat.

March 25, 2022

TM Recommends: Take Me Out to the Sandlot

Texas baseball is back. Plus: pickles so good they transport you back to childhood.

By Texas Monthly

January 28, 2022

A Requiem for Swatson and Moe, the Mosquito Mascot Kings of Texas Minor League Baseball

With the Sugar Land Skeeters set to become the Space Cowboys, what will become of the mascots for the Houston Astros' AAA squad?

July 13, 2021

How Colton Cowser Became the Surprise Top-Five Pick of the MLB Draft

Sam Houston was his only Division I offer coming out of high school. Three years later, the outfielder from Cypress is headed to the Majors.

Willie Wells in a Newark Eagles uniform. Wells played for the Eagles 1936-1939, and then again in 1942 and 1945.

July 12, 2021

How Austin’s Willie Wells Pioneered the Modern Batting Helmet

A talented infielder and a strong hitter who played around the world, he created an early iteration of the protective gear that now keeps baseball players safe.

By Paula Mejía

Texas head coach David Pierce signals the crowd as they sing

June 28, 2021

The Longhorns’ Wild College World Series Run Comes to an End

Texas lost a heartbreaker in the NCAA semifinals Saturday night, but Coach David Pierce's team had a season to remember.

June 14, 2021

No Joy at Minute Maid Park

Lingering anger over the Houston Astros cheating scandal has turned a day at the ballpark into a powder keg of fan misbehavior.

Fans pose with a sign against the Houston Astros during the game with the Oakland Athletics at RingCentral Coliseum on April 02, 2021 in Oakland, California.

April 12, 2021

Hey, Astros: Get Ready for a Full Season of Raining Trash Cans and “Houston Asterisks” Signs

From tossing trash cans to renaming the Astros the “Houston Asterisks,” baseball fans won’t let Houston forget the 2017 cheating scandal.

Texas minor league baseball: Amarillo Sod Poodles vs. Midland Rockhounds.

April 6, 2021

Texas’s Best (and Weirdest) Minor League Baseball Team Names, Ranked

We salute the Sugar Land Lightning Sloths, the Amarillo Sod Poodles, and their compatriots.

March 10, 2021

The Texas Rangers Plan to Fill Their Stadium, Pandemic Be Damned

The team finished in last place in front of cardboard fans in 2020, but it’s the first in American pro sports to reopen to full capacity.

October 13, 2020

Being a Houston Astros Fan in 2020 Is Complicated

As a longtime fan, I haven’t forgiven the team for cheating, but the Astros are bigger than a handful of players or a few seasons of baseball.

July 31, 2020

Why on Earth Is Jim Crane Doing Interviews Right Now?

The Houston Astros owner decided to defend every bad PR move his organization has made.

July 16, 2020

The Ingenious Plan to Fill Globe Life Field During the Pandemic

The new Arlington baseball stadium has an approach that's, well, out of left field.

June 2, 2020

Is It Possible to Safely Hold a College Baseball Tournament in Bryan Right Now?

Uri Geva is hoping that his Collegiate Summer Baseball Invitational proves that it is—but experts are skeptical.

February 26, 2020

People Are Now Placing Bets on How Many Astros Will Get Hit by Pitches This Season

Baseball has its own way of enforcing the rules.

October 31, 2019

After Losing the World Series, What’s Next for the Houston Astros?

In the wake of the organization's missteps, it must reckon with its culture this offseason.

October 29, 2019

The Houston Astros and the Limits of Trusting the Process

It’s the players, not the front office, who are giving fans something to cheer for this World Series.

October 3, 2019

Will Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole Carry the Astros to the World Series?

As Houston begins its playoff run, let’s pause and appreciate the Cy Young contenders who powered this season’s best team in baseball.

September 24, 2019

Goodbye to the Texas Rangers’ Roofless Ballpark, a.k.a. “the Surface of the Sun”

The team is abandoning 25-year-old Globe Life Park for a shiny new stadium next door.

By Jason Heid

April 12, 2019

This Austin Startup Hopes to Be the Top Golf of Baseball

Home Run Dugout’s first location, at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, is funded in part by Nolan Ryan’s Ryan-Sanders Baseball, and is just the start of their plans.