HOUSTON – Fifty years after his father took his first steps on the moon, Rick Armstrong took his first steps on the mound at Minute Maid Park for Apollo 11 Night.
"I remember going to Astros games as a kid," Armstrong said, "and I worked at the Astrodome for a year."
"This is my first time (throwing the ceremonial first pitch)," he said, "so my goal is not to be on SportsCenter tomorrow."
Minute Maid Park sold out Monday night for what was the third Apollo 11 Night for the Astros.
In 1979, on the 10th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a commemoration night was held at the Astrodome.
It happened again in 2009 for the 40th anniversary of the historic Apollo mission, for the first time at Minute Maid Park.
"People are really excited about Apollo 11 Night," Astros President Reid Ryan said about the 50th anniversary celebration. "I think it's a combination of pride in Houston, pride in the space program and excitement about this team and the way we're playing this year."
Limited-edition Orbit Apollo 11 bobbleheads sold out, and fans lined up in the morning to buy special-edition Apollo 11 Astros hats.
Ryan said the team got special permission from MLB for the Astros to wear the Apollo 11 patch.