The Astros-Rangers series in Florida started with a moment of silence for Harvey victims

While the focus of this week has been, and should be, on the victims of Hurricane Harvey and the importance of relief efforts just getting underway in Houston, baseball is still being played.

The Astros and Rangers both relocated to Tropicana Field in Florida for this week’s series, but many players’ minds are understandably back home with their families, who are directly dealing with Harvey’s repercussions. The game started with a moment of silence in honor of the victims of the hurricane, and the fans attending brought well wishes in the form of signs they raised from the stands.

The announcers began the game’s broadcast with discussion of the reasons both teams from Texas were playing in Florida for the next few days and even they acknowledged how “bizarre” it was to be in such a situation.

The matchup at a neutral site was surreal from the start, with few people in the stands and the normal Rays signage behind the plate replaced by signs in Astros colors encouraging everyone to donate to Harvey relief.

The good news is that many Astros players have received word from their families that everyone is safe and they are doing OK, considering.

It’s tough to imagine a team taking the field when there is something much more important than baseball is going on. But as the announcers pointed out, not much can be done besides awareness and donations since it remains difficult for anyone to get back into Houston right now.

Hopefully the Astros and their families will be able to reunite as soon as possible, and the players will soon be able to help with relief efforts firsthand.

But with that not possible right now, it’s amazing to see the Rays and fans in the Tampa Bay area continue to provide support in this way.