HOUSTON — The Astros and Rangers may be bitter American League West rivals, but a Houston fan’s appreciation for the game -- and a gesture from a Rangers right fielder Sunday -- rose above the hostility that often exists between the two teams and their fan bases.

It was the bottom of the fourth inning in a scoreless game when Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez got hold of a pitch from Nathan Eovaldi and drove it deep to right field.

Texas right fielder Brandon Nimmo was tracking it all the way to the wall, then leapt and snagged the would-be homer and pulled it back into the field of play. 

Lifelong Astros fan Ronald Branch, who works as an Astros tour guide, was in the front row in right field. He saw the ball coming right at him, and knew not to interfere. So instead of trying to snag the souvenir, he backed off and let Nimmo do his thing.

It was something that Nimmo apparently noticed. Later in the game, he headed right for Branch, handing him and someone in his group two baseballs, one that read, “Thanks 4 Letting Me Go After It!”

Branch posted about the experience on Facebook, describing the play and writing, “Loyal Astros fan always… but also loyal to the game itself. Besides, when Yordan sends one into orbit, you just sit back, admire the moonshot, and let the outfielder make the business decision.”

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