The Astros celebrated the '90s with members of the 1997 division champs
It's time to break out the DunkAroos and jelly sandals ... the '90s are back, and they are better than ever. The Astros honored the 1997 NL Central championship team before they hosted the A's on Saturday, bringing out former manager Larry Dierker with members of the team on hand.
1997 Astros introduced and Dierker's first pitch pic.twitter.com/ujzaW3SRzL
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 19, 2017
According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Shane Reynolds, Jeff Bagwell, Craig Biggio and first-base coach
"The '97 team was the Astros' first division championship since winning the NL West in 1986," said McTaggart, "and it began a span where they won four division titles in five years."
In addition to a Jose Altuve/Boy Meets World tribute on the big screen, there was a bobblehead giveaway of the final out when the Astros clinched in 1997, featuring Bagwell, Biggio and Mike Hampton. On Saturday night, the team sported replica uniforms from that season and Dierker reminisced on the celebratory time.
Altuve Meets World. #Astros pic.twitter.com/4URpFK4UNA
— Talking Stros (@TalkingStros) August 19, 2017
Tonight's giveaway at MMP: reallly cool bobblehead depiction of 1997 clincher. Photo taken 20 years ago by the awesome @karenwarrenHC ! pic.twitter.com/AkrnNm4W8r
— Alyson Footer (@alysonfooter) August 19, 2017
"The memories of '97 are really fresh," Dierker told MLB.com. "I don't feel quite as good as I did back then, but some of these guys down here look like they could still play."
He also told a story in which he was a tad embarrassed before the first pitch of the season had even been thrown.
"I thought I had done practically anything I could think of from the first game, and when I walked out to exchange lineup cards, Joe West was the umpire, and he said "OK Dierker, what are the ground rules for the Astrodome?'"
After a few laughs, Dierker admitted he thought he knew everything, but he didn't realize he was supposed to know the ground rules.
Twenty years later, the Astros commemorated history, and along with telling a funny story or two, Dierker -- who would go on to become the 1998 NL Manager of the Year -- made sure to point the spotlight on the players who would be responsible for one of the franchise's most memorable periods.
