ARLINGTON, Texas — Spencer Arrighetti should trademark this pose, one he’d prefer not to strike but is perfecting nonetheless. One or both of Arrighetti’s hands sit atop his head. His mouth is agape. His eyes are wide. Action continues around him, but Arrighetti appears stuck, mesmerized by the magnificence of whichever outfielder saved him from something miserable.
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— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) May 29, 2026Arrighetti has struck this pose at least four times across the past three seasons, all in awe of a catch that either preserved history or protected his pitching line. Two weeks ago, Zach Dezenzo’s diving grab in the left-center-field gap at Daikin Park prompted the look and prolonged a no-hit bid Arrighetti carried into the eighth inning.Arrighetti could not secure the final five outs but still steered the Houston Astros to a 2-0 victory against the Texas Rangers. After that win, Arrighetti spoke up. His team — the same one this Katy, Texas, product grew up adoring — sat 10 games below .500 with an injury-ravaged roster and questions about the trajectory of a teetering season.“I know it sounds dumb to say where we were sitting right now,” Arrighetti said, “but this is a really special group, and I really believe in every single player that’s in this locker room right now, and I think we need to take it a little more personally.“I’m sure there’s stuff being said right now that makes it seem bleak. I don’t think it feels that way in here.”Arrighetti pumped life into a place in need of it. Fourteen days after doing so, the Astros are rejuvenated. They have won eight of 12 games since the outspoken right-hander issued his unprompted plea for patience and urgency. Seven of the victories arrived across this 11-day trip through Minneapolis, Chicago and Arlington.“This team has no quit,” said shortstop Jeremy Peña, whose leadoff home run against Nathan Eovaldi on Thursday handed Houston a lead it never relinquished during a 5-1 win in the road trip finale. “We’re going to keep showing up, going to keep playing for each other. We’re going to go out and compete. That’s what we did this road trip. … I feel like we’re clicking on all cylinders.”Since Arrighetti spoke up, Houston has gained 4 1/2 games in an American League West that, as of Thursday night, featured no teams above .500. The Astros are still six games under .500 but somehow just 2 1/2 games out of first place.
