Oswalt

I'm a huge Roy Oswalt fan.

Pretty much the minute he stepped on the field last year, he became the Astros' pitching ace.

But tonight, he stepped up and showed that he will protect his teammates, something that Astros pitchers just haven't done over the past few years.

The sequence of events:

Kerry Wood goes WAY inside on Jeff Bagwell, nearly hitting him.

Oswalt retaliates and plunks a Cub later in the game.

Julio Lugo squares around and shows bunt (but looks like he's taking all the way), and Kerry Wood nails him with a fastball. Wood throws 99mph, btw, and it looked intentional. Both sides get a warning.

Later in the game (after a four-run outburst by the Astros), Oswalt plunks a Cub batter and he and Jimy are both ejected.

The Astros won the game, and for the first time in a long time, an Astros pitcher stood up and protected his teammates.

And it's not at all surprising that it was Oswalt who did it. Roy rocks.

(08-13-02 Update) The bastard broke Julio Lugo's forearm. That's a tough break for the Astros. Lugo's been a reliable starter at short since reclaiming the job.

[Posted at 22:39 CST on 08/12/02] [Link]