When Josh Hendrickson jogged out of the bullpen at T-Mobile Park on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, it wasn’t just another relief appearance, it was the 29-year-old lefty’s MLB debut for the Houston Astros in the fifth-to-last game of their season, smack in the middle of a taut AL West race against our Mariners.
The Call That Changed Everything, Right Here in Seattle
Hendrickson got the call after midnight in Texas, following Tuesday’s game in Seattle where the Astros had to wring seven innings from their relievers because starter Cristian Javier injured his groin. So, he awoke Wednesday, hopped on a flight, and found himself in the Emerald City, thrust directly into a high-pressure situation. He’d waited years for this, an unlikely journey for someone drafted in the 38th round by the Phillies in 2019, having pitched at three different colleges, and with only four Triple-A outings before this season. The Astros picked him up in mid-April as minor-league depth because their pitching staff was wracked by injuries. Hendrickson had spent all season with Triple-A Sugar Land, posting a 4.75 ERA in 23 outings, 19 of them starts, and was just with the taxi squad after the Triple-A season wrapped up last weekend. Now, here he was, facing our M’s with everything on the line.
“Ripping a Band-Aid Off” on the Mound
His debut was no soft landing. Hendrickson entered in the third inning, with the Astros clinging to a one-run lead over the Mariners. The tying run was on third base, and the go-ahead run was on second. Talk about an immediate fire drill! But on his second pitch, Hendrickson induced a groundout from Josh Naylor to end the inning. “Honestly, I don’t think I even had time to think about it,” Hendrickson said the next day. “We had some runners get on, some guys scored and it was, ‘Get hot.’ I think they said I had Naylor, I don’t really know. It was just, I’m going to start throwing and I’m ready as soon as they need me.” He added, “But it felt like ripping a Band-Aid off. I didn’t have time to think about it and be like, oh, what’s going to happen? It was just go.” This dude went from sitting at home waiting for a job in April, to Tommy John surgery, independent ball, and playing for Team Australia in the World Baseball Classic, all the way to facing our guys in a crazy AL West battle.
With only four games left in the Astros’ season after that intense Mariners matchup, every pitch, especially from an unexpected arm like Hendrickson’s, is going to mean everything in this tight AL West race. You gotta wonder if he’ll get another shot to prove himself in this high-stakes final stretch.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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