Trevor Story grew up about 15 minutes from the Texas Rangers’ ballpark Youth Malik Jefferson Jersey , where he got to see the home team he cheered for play in the World Series.

Now the Rockies’ shortstop from Irving has finally played in that stadium as a big leaguer.

”This was my Yankee Stadium growing up,” Story said Friday before Colorado opened an interleague series in Texas with a 9-5 victory. ”I always was in the stands watching from afar.”

Story wasn’t able to play the last time the Rockies were at Texas two years ago. He hit an NL rookie shortstop-record 27 homers in 97 games that year, but missed the games he had long circled on his calendar because of a season-ending thumb injury suffered about two weeks earlier.

”I circled it again for this year,” Story said. ”It was tough honestly … obviously dying to be out there.”

Story increased his National League-leading RBI total to 52. He had an RBI single and stolen base in Colorado’s six-run second inning, and hit a run-scoring double in the seventh.

It was the sixth time in seven games he had multiple hits, and his only hit Wednesday at Philadelphia was an RBI double with two outs in the seventh inning to break up Vince Velasquez’s no-hitter.

Rockies manager Bud Black said Story is playing at an All-Star level.

”He’s leading the league in RBIs, he’s playing great defense. The average is starting to climb,” Black said. ”Trevor Story’s name is getting out there now amongst baseball people, in the circle, behind the cage, conversations with other managers and coaches that I have, he’s becoming a guy that people are noticing. It’s deserving.”

Story, whose favorite Rangers were Hall of Fame catcher Ivan ”Pudge” Rodriguez and franchise hits leader Michael Young, said all he ever wanted to do was be a baseball player.

”If I couldn’t be a baseball player, I wanted to be a fireman like my dad,” the 25-year-old said.

About 200 of Story’s family and friends were expected this weekend at the ballpark Youth Mark Walton Jersey , including his parents and some of his fianc锟?#8217;s family. His dad just this year retired after 37 years as a firefighter in Irving. His coach and former teammates from Irving High School, before the Rockies picked him 45th overall in the 2011 draft, were also there.

Their local favorite, who still lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area during the offseason, came home during one of the best stretches of his young big league career.

”Yeah, it definitely helps,” Story said. ”But this game, you never know what’s going to happen. … It’s nice to be doing well. I don’t try to think too much in it, just play it as another game.”

And, at last, a series at home.

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Dallas Keuchel had a different catcher before throwing his first pitch for the Houston Astros on Tuesday night.

Everything worked out just fine with Tim Federowicz behind the plate with the former AL Cy Young Award winner throwing some of his best breaking pitches all season.

Keuchel struck out seven and allowed only two runs over seven scoreless innings, winning for only the second time in his last nine starts, as the Astros beat the Texas Rangers 5-3.

”Some of the shape it was taking early was really good. (Shin-Soo) Choo leading off the game, anytime you get him to swing and miss at a breaking pitch, it’s acting pretty good, and then (Nomar) Mazara struck out looking with a slider away Cassius Marsh Color Rush Jersey ,” Keuchel said. ”Both of those balls had good action and I knew from the then on if I could establish the fastball in to the lefties, it would be a good day.”

Josh Reddick and Tony Kemp homered for the Astros, who are 11-4 this season against their instate division rival, with seven consecutive road wins in the series. Houston is a majors-best 31-14 on the road this season.

Keuchel (5-8) struck out the first four batters he faced, and six of the first seven.

After catcher Brian McCann went on the disabled list and had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee earlier Tuesday, manager A.J. Hinch said Max Stassi would do the bulk of the catching. But Stassi got hit by a pitch batting in the first, and left the game with a bruised right (throwing) wrist before even taking the field on defense.

”I think we avoided a fracture, very good for us,” manager A.J. Hinch said. ”Got him pretty good in the wrist. Got a welt there, couldn’t flex his hand, hand so mobility.”

X-rays were negative and Stassi is considered day to day.

Keuchel had only thrown a few bullpens with Federowicz in spring training, and a live BP session, before the catcher was called back from Triple-A Fresno earlier Tuesday.

”The way he handled the game not expecting to play, that was really impressive,” Keuchel said.

Choo later walked twice and had two singles to extend his career-best on-base streak to 43 games, the longest in the majors since Atlanta’s Freddie Freeman’s 46-gamer two years ago. Choo is three games shy of Julio Franco’s team record of 46 in a row set 25 years ago.

The Astros used three relievers to get through the eighth. Texas already had a run in before Hector Rondon took over against pinch-hitter Joey Gallo http://www.packersauthorizedshops.com/authentic-josh-jackson-jersey , who worked a 12-pitch at-bat into a two-out walk to load the bases before Robinson Chirinos struck out. Rondon then worked the ninth for his sixth save in eight chances.

Houston went ahead to stay in the first when Yuli Gurriel and Reddick had RBI doubles off Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-2), who still managed to get through six innings. He struck out four, walked two and hit two batters.

”To get through six in that situation was huge for us,” manager Jeff Banister said. ”Early on it didn’t look that it was going to be the case, a situation where really didn’t have a whole lot of sink on the fastball. … For us to still have an opportunity there through those innings, it was big-time by him.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: SS Carlos Correa, out since June 26 with lower back soreness, has been working out daily in Houston. Hinch said it was uncertain if Correa will be ready to play Friday when eligible to come off the DL. He hadn’t gone through any baseball activities yet.

Rangers: RHP Tony Barnette left the game after a 2-1 pitch to Marwin Gonzalez in the eighth. The Rangers said he had a right shoulder strain and would be evaluated further Wednesday. … 1B Ronald Guzman had two hits and scored twice after being activated from the seven-day concussion DL.

SHORT HOPS

The Astros have homered in 23 consecutive road games, a club record and four from matching the MLB record set by Oakland earlier this season. … Before Bibens-Dirkx plunked Stassi in the first inning, Rangers pitchers had gone 22 games without hitting a batter – the longest span for the team since 1998.

DOUBLE DOUBLED UP

Astros leadoff hitter George Springer was in a 3-for-46 slide before a single in the sixth. But he was also doubled off twice on hard lineouts.

UP NEXT

Gerrit Cole (9-2) will pitch on regular rest for the Astros after they made a slight tweak in their rotation. Lance McCullers Jr., who was scheduled to start, was instead pushed back to Friday. Rangers lefty Mike Minor (6-4) took a perfect game into the seventh inning of his last start, a win last Wednesday over the San Diego Padres.

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