CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Houston Astros visited Driscoll Children's Hospital for their annual Astros Caravan on Wednesday. This stop is special because the athletes can leave a positive impact on the kids and possibly future players. The Major League players also stopped at Whataburger by the Bay and the Naval Air Station.
"Very fortunate enough to visit this hospital before with another group of guys from Corpus Christi," said Astros outfielder Zach Cole. "To be able to come back here is just a blessing and a great experience seeing the kids and hopefully making their days better. Being able to pray for them and see their parents is the best part of the job."
Cole visited Driscoll along with three Houston pitchers: Colton Gordon, Jason Alexander and Logan VanWey. Cole played for the Hooks the past two seasons, leading Corpus Christi with 19 home runs in 2025. His dominant performance at the plate earned him a Big League spot last September.
Meeting these four Astros players was a dream for 9-year-old Kingsville second baseman Zavien Canales.
"They're just good," said Canales when asked why he liked watching the Astros compete. "Seeing players have fun and just playing."
Gordon played for the Hooks in 2023 where he started 18 of 20 games pitched. His Corpus Christi record was (4-5) with a 3.95 ERA and 121 strikeouts. Gordon hopes his visit, even if it's just for a few minutes, can be a positive influence for the hospital patients.
"Inspire them to get better and keep working hard at whatever they're going through and keep battling," Gordon said. "Whatever their goal is in life, whether it's sports or anything, that you can accomplish it. You can just work hard and keep pushing every day."
The Astros also made sure to remember and thank the health care workers that dedicate hours of service to save lives.
"The fans are what make the Astros possible," Cole said. "We love playing for your guys and we love you guys. We just want to say thank you for all of the support and we hope that we can meet every one of you guys."
The Astros start spring training games Feb. 21.
