Houston Astros’ outfielder Joe Loperfido had an unforgettable night in more ways than one.
In Thursday night’s game against the Oakland Athletics, the 25-year-old hit his first career home run in the majors. In the bottom of the third inning, he sent a 2-run shot into right field to give the Astros a 6-0 lead. They went on to win their fifth straight game by a score of 8-1.
“Definitely felt really good,” Loperfido told KPRC 2′s Ari Alexander. “I kind of looked to the dugout after I hit it, and everybody was pretty hyped. But it just felt good. It was a changeup, low and away; that’s part of the zone I’ve been working on through spring training and through the season up until now.”
However, the severe thunderstorms passing through Houston rained on Loperfido’s parade.
Like hundreds of thousands of other Houstonians, Loperfido’s apartment lost power due to the intense conditions. After being called up to the majors less than three weeks ago, he had finally gotten his Houston-area apartment set up yesterday. He had to stay with teammate Spencer Arrighetti last night, but he was a good sport about the situation.
“I couldn’t get up there after the game, so I stayed with Spence. It was fun, we had a little sleepover,” Loperfido said.