It was Turn Back the Clock Night in Houston last night, with Jamie Moyer on the mound against the Astros. Now the oldest player in the majors, Moyer became the eighth player in baseball history to start a game in four different decades. He looked sharp early, then ran into a buzz saw in the third, giving up five runs and putting the Astros ahead 5-4. Ryan Howard changed that with another mammoth two-run homer; Shane Victorino also chimed in with a two-run shot. Placido Polanco continued to be hot, hot, hot in the 9-6 win.
Moyer got the win despite looking quite mortal. On the other hand, he went six innings. Only he and Roy Halladay, among the starters, have gone more than five this first week.
Both teams wore throwback unis from 1965, but in polyester not wool. The Astro unis looked a bit flimsy but I liked the cut of the Phillies' road greys. (They had been somewhat slimmed down to conform to contemporary style.) I was also surprised that I really liked not seeing the names on the back of the uniforms.
In the minors, Reading made it two in a row, with a 4-1 win over Portland. And the IronPigs lost their third straight to start the year. All three have been walk-off losses, yesterday's in 12 innings. Unbelievable.
