Orbit

Orbit is the mascot of the Houston Astros. He is a furry green space alien with two large antenna-like protuberances sticking out the side of his head with a baseball on each end. He wears an Astros uniform with the number 00.

He was the team mascot from 1990 to 1999, but when the team moved to the ballpark that was then called Enron Field in 2000, he was replaced by Junction Jack, a railway-themed jackrabbit who played to the railtrack theme embodied elsewhere in the ballpark. Junction Jack never became very popular and Orbit was brought back in 2013, when the Astros moved from the National League to the American League.

In his second incarnation, Orbit has proven to be one of the most endearing mascots in baseball, having developed a very distinct personality. He likes to pick feuds with certain opposition players. In particular, his feud with Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Chris Archer took on epic proportions, as Archer read a "Declaration of Unfriendliness" with the full support of his team, who promised to supply him with all the water balloons and silly string needed to hold his end of the feud. He also had a feud with J.P. Arencibia which he tried to resolve by staging an "intervention", Dr. Phil-like, aimed at reconciling their differences. He also invited David Ortiz to an intergalactic tea party, although the slugger refused to wear the tiara that was generously offered him by Orbit.

Further Reading

• Matt Monagan: "Phillie Phanatic vs Orbit: The World Series of MLB's greatest mascots: A battle to end all battles", mlb.com, October 26, 2022. [1]