The opening month of the 2013 Major League baseball season proved a baptism of fire for the Houston Astros, embarking on their maiden American League campaign.
After over half a century as a member of the National League, the Astros shifted allegiances to the American League West in a move which ensured that every MLB division fields five teams.
With the shift came a fresh look as the Astros announced a return to the club’s original 1960s colour combination and a new logo for their history-making first AL season.
Many of the pundits had labelled Houston to finish at the cellar of the American League. But the fans who packed into Minute Maid Park for opening day festivities on March 31 created an air of expectancy while holding out hopes for an improved performance after a MLB worst 55 win season in 2012.
A national audience on ESPN witnessed the Astros make a memorable start to American League life with an 8-2 victory over cross state and now divisional rivals the Texas Rangers on the back of a three run homer by veteran acquisition Rick Ankiel and a solid start from rotation ace Bud Norris.
For that brief period before the calendar had ticked over to April, Houston fans could have been forgiven for thinking that the change in league would bring a change in fortunes.
But painful normal order was restored for Houston over the remainder of the opening month however as the team slipped to a paltry 8-24 record by May 6.
Now competing in a talent-laden division comprising the Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, Oakland Athletics and the improved Seattle Mariners, even the most committed Astros fan may struggle to envisage anything but a last placed finish.
The days of a 2005 World Series appearance now remain a distant memory, and the possibility of a franchise-worst season is clearly a distinct possibility.
For a club whose opening day line-up combined will be paid a salary smaller than that of Yankees veteran Alex Rodriguez, it appears the worst may be yet to come.
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