There was already a long line hours before Houston Astros’ MVP Jeremy Peña was scheduled to work a drive-thru shift at a southeast Houston Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers.
The long lines are a trend we’ve seen at every Astros meet-and-greet since the team won their second World Series earlier this month.
Even though Peña isn’t scheduled to show up until noon, the parking lot was full of fans sleeping in their cars overnight.
Some fans were awake, and a reporter recognized a familiar face — hard-core Astros fan Carmen, who was first in line to meet Yordan Álvarez at DICK’S Sporting Goods last week.
Now, she’s third in line for Peña.
Carmen is holding a spot in line for herself and her 9-year-old granddaughter, Pressley, who says she hopes to play matchmaker for her 18-year-old sister.
“I think so! But I told her, ‘Well, I don’t know, because I did see a girlfriend in some of his pictures recently.’ I think a lot of girls are still going to take a shot at it,” Carmen said.
“Hey, there’s no harm in asking, right?” Charly asked.
“That’s right. I guess not. Not when you’re 9 years old and you’re trying real hard for your big sister,” Carmen said.
Peña will be at the Canes located at 7009 Gulf Freeway, near I-45 and the I-610 South Loop.
He will be clocking in to work the drive-thru line and talk with fans at noon.
Peña’s play at shortstop earned him the AL 2022 Gold Glove Award, making him the first Astros rookie and the first rookie to win a Gold Glove in MLB history.
He is also the first rookie shortstop to hit a home run in World Series history. The Astros selected him in the third round of the 2018 MLB draft, and he officially made his MLB debut in 2022.
This will be yet another Astros star making an appearance for their adoring fans.
In the past week, José Altuve, Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker met fans at various Academy Sports + Outdoors across the Houston area.