A former Astros player was in the broadcast booth for Friday’s game against the Rangers, though it wasn’t one of the usual suspects.

Hunter Pence, who played for the Astros from 2007-11 and still lives in Houston, provided color commentary of the game for Apple TV+, which is broadcasting select Friday night MLB games this season. MLB Network's Stephen Nelson called play-by-play for the Astros-Rangers game with Katie Nolan on color commentary and Heidi Watney as the field reporter.

Pence was drafted by the Astros in 2004, made his major-league debut for the club in 2007 and starred as an outfielder and designated hitter in Houston for most of the next five seasons, including All-Star seasons in 2009 and 2011.

After his retirement from baseball in 2020, Pence began a television career. He was part of the Apple TV+ crew that broadcast the April 8 Astros-Angels game in Anaheim, but Friday was his first time in the booth at Minute Maid Park — named for legendary Astros announcer Milo Hamilton.

“It's pretty special,” Pence said. “Obviously, my home is in Houston. I've trained here every offseason and I got my place here and I got the coffee shop and the baseball academy. So it truly is an honor. You know, I have a lot of roots here, so being born in Texas and getting to call a game at Minute Maid Park is a big deal. Milo Hamilton suite definitely brought some chills because I remember being young and not knowing much and just Milo's magic — the Milo magic, I would call it — and how he just lit up the room.”

Catcher Jason Castro and second baseman Jose Altuve are the only current Astros players who were teammates of Pence’s in Houston, and both remember him fondly.

Castro recalled a 7 a.m. hitting session from one of his first spring trainings with the Astros. He was hitting off the tee and Pence was in the cage next to him.

“We had this machine in Kissimmee that they called it the Darth Vader machine because it was just this big black box that you would load balls in the top and there was a random function that you could hit and it would throw random pitches,” Castro said. “He’s hitting one after another, and when he used to hit he would grunt, almost like a tennis player. So he was loud and just raking, crushing this machine. He goes, 'Hey, I need a break, mix in with me.'”

Castro continued, “So I got in there and I think I like swung and missed or foul tipped like the first like 10 pitches because it was just different stuff. I was like, what the heck is this? And the velocity was really hard. And I was like, ‘Hey man, I'm not loose enough to do this right now, I just started hitting off the tee.’ So I get out and he's like, alright, yeah, no problem. He gets back in and he just starts crushing this machine again. I'm like, I don't know how he's doing this.”

Pence was in his final season with the Astros when Altuve was called up to the majors for his debut in July of 2011. They were together on the Astros for only 11 days, but Altuve called Pence one of the best teammates he ever had.

“He was a superstar and I was this guy coming from the minor leagues,” Altuve said. “He really tried to help people. He wanted people to get better. He was just a great teammate, on and off the field, a great person. I'm glad that I got to play with him at least for the time he was here.”

Altuve, of course, has come a long way since then as a seven-time All-Star and five-time Silver Slugger who every week climbs higher in the Astros’ all-time record books.

“Man, he was such a light and he brought so much good energy and there was something extraordinarily special about him,” Pence said. “And I think it's been one of the coolest stories just to watch his career and to watch this guy who just like loved the game, who you would look at him in street clothes and go, oh, you know, you got to overcome the 'he's too small' thing, and he's definitely proven that there is no such thing as too small. He's got power. He's got speed. He's got hit tool. And he's got leadership. So his career has just been incredible.”

Pence’s career continued to take off after the Astros traded him midseason in 2011 to Philadelphia, where he helped the Phillies get to the National League Division Series, where they lost to eventual World Series champion St. Louis. The following season Pence was traded to San Francisco, where he would win World Series titles in 2012 and 2014. He spent the 2019 season with the Rangers before returning to the Giants for his final season.

The Astros never made the playoffs while Pence played for them, but he still has a soft spot for his time with the organization.

“(Craig) Biggio's 3000th hit was pretty cool,” he said. “I think that was one of the most spectacular. I think the memories and the friendships with him, (Lance) Berkman, all the people throughout your time with that team — that’s what leaves the longest lasting memory on your heart, is your friendships, the fans, and the people you meet.”

Danielle Lerner covers the Rockets, Astros and a variety of sports for the Houston Chronicle. She previously covered college basketball for The Daily Memphian, The Athletic and the Louisville Courier Journal. A true utility player, she has also written about professional soccer, horse racing, college football and college baseball. Her work has been honored by APSE and SPJ. A native Californian, Lerner spends her free time being active outdoors and exploring Houston's taco scene.