Ex-Astros star Alex Bregman gets huge Team USA ovation from Houston crowd

Alex Bregman is presently focused on helping Team USA recapture the World Baseball Classic championship. Starting on March 26, he will be tasked with helping the Chicago Cubs turn the corner and contend for a World Series title. Last year, he breathed new life into the Boston Red Sox and acted as a mentor to budding star Roman Anthony. The 31-year-old has served a number of roles during his MLB career. But he is a Houston Astros great, first and foremost.

Bregman won two rings with the American League West ballclub and ranks in the top-10 for the franchise’s all-time lead in WAR, OPS, home runs, slugging percentage, runs scored, total bases, doubles, RBIs and on-base percentage. He departed the Astros in free agency last year after a decade together, but the city still holds the veteran third baseman in high esteem.

When Bregman’s name was announced during player introductions for Friday’s WBC game versus Brazil, the fans inside Houston’s Daikin Park gave him a warm ovation, via USA Today’s Danielle Lerner. Unless he is wearing a Texas Rangers, Los Angels Dodgers or New York Yankees uniform, Space City is likely to give the three-time All-Star a healthy amount of applause.

Rousing cheers in Houston for Alex Bregman as he’s announced with Team USA’s starting lineup for the team’s WBC opener against Brazil. pic.twitter.com/MWEdYliXsz

— Danielle Lerner (@danielle_lerner) March 7, 2026

Perhaps the hospitable welcome is the mental boost that Alex Bregman needs to have a strong showing in the 2026 WBC. He was a member of the 2017 squad, which marks the first and currently only time the United States has won the global tournament. He had not even made his MLB debut with the Astros yet and wound up logging only four at-bats for Team USA. Now, the 2024 Gold Glove winner is one of the senior members of a group that is once again favored to seize the title.

From a wide-eyed rookie to a two-time champ on his third MLB club, Bregman has come a long way. He is experiencing a full-circle moment in Houston, or at least it will be if Team USA claims the World Baseball Classic crown.

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