HOUSTON -- Cooper Hummel says he’s known as “a high-energy guy.”
On Tuesday night, he energized an entire ballpark, breaking a scoreless tie with an eighth-inning home run that gave the Astros a 1-0 victory over the Phillies at Daikin Park.
Hummel sent Ranger Suárez’s 99th pitch, an 83.9 mph cutter, 390 feet to right-center field. It was the fourth hit allowed by Suárez, who retired the first 10 Astros he faced and didn’t allow a hit until Yainer Diaz led off the sixth with a single.
How did the home run rank among Hummel’s personal highlights?
“It’s definitely up there,” said the 30-year-old outfielder. “I got a walk-off a couple years ago [as a rookie for Arizona], but this is definitely up there. Bigger stage, bigger team. Much more important for the team going forward, too.”
The Diamondbacks hit Hummel referred to was a 10th-inning walk-off single that beat the Braves on May 31, 2022. Since then, his career path has been winding, to say the least.
After playing 66 games for Arizona in his first MLB season, Hummel was traded to the Mariners after the 2022 season. He played in 10 games for Seattle in 2023, spending most of the year at Triple-A Tacoma. The Mariners, Mets and Giants all waived or designated him in the ensuing offseason, with the Astros claiming him in April 2024. He played in six games for Houston last year, going 0-for-8, and opted for free agency after failing to make the club this past spring.
The Yankees signed Hummel to a Minor League deal on April 7, then released him on May 24. The Orioles signed him and designated him twice in the span of eight days, getting one at-bat on May 30. The Astros got him back via a Minor League contract on June 7, and a week later, he was back in Houston.
Tuesday’s home run, Hummel’s second in nine games for the Astros this year, was the fifth of his Major League career.
“Big swing,” said Astros manager Joe Espada, whose team improved to an MLB-best 15-6 in June. “I feel like it’s the next-man-up mentality. It’s like everyone finding a way to help win games. Good teams do that. We need that. It’s contagious. Those guys in there, they want to be in the game. They’ll look at me like, ‘When am I going to get my spot so I can do something to help contribute?’ I love that about this team.”
The victory was made possible by Framber Valdez, who battled his way through seven scoreless innings. Though he had no personal W to show for it, Valdez continued a magnificent stretch of run prevention, helped by two double plays. He allowed four hits and four walks, striking out three over the course of 92 pitches.
Over his last nine starts, a span of 62 innings, Valdez has a 1.89 ERA. The Astros have won all nine, with Valdez getting seven of the victories.
“Both lefties were really, really good,” Espada said. “Framber, again, excellent. Got two big inning-ending double plays, but I thought he was really good from the very beginning. Pitch count got up, but he just finds a way to get people out.”
In beating a Phillies team that had won nine of its previous 11 games to take over first place in the National League East, the Astros maintained a 4 1/2-game lead over Seattle in the American League West.
Espada was asked if there was a juncture when he thought one run might win the game.
“I was praying for one hit,” he said. “I said this earlier: One run could determine the outcome of these games, because that’s how good both teams are, and that’s how good both teams’ pitching are. So once we got that run and I have [Josh] Hader coming in the game, it just feels pretty good.”
Hader, who followed a clean eighth by Bryan Abreu, hit Edmundo Sosa with one out in the ninth. But with a popup and strikeout, the closer earned his 20th save and left Hummel reflecting on his biggest hit as an Astro.
“The big thing is just controlling the emotions, controlling your level of energy,” said Hummel, who also had a sixth-inning single. “[Suárez] is a really good pitcher, and those guys don’t really make mistakes a whole lot. They have a plan for every pitch. I think it’s just picking the pitch that you can do the best damage on.
“It’s a higher level than Triple-A, and I haven’t been up as much the last couple years, but it’s still the same game. Just gotta enjoy it and have fun. It’s been a long road.”