The balanced schedule has brought plenty of fresh matchups between interleague teams.

It’s also presented more homecomings for players who otherwise might not have had one — like Cubs pitcher Hayden Wesneski.

The righty will head to the ballpark he grew up going to, against the team he rooted for as a kid and in a stadium he’s played in before.

“In college, I played there for one game, but it’s something different when you’re a big-leaguer and you’re playing against the Astros themselves,” Wesneski said. “I’m excited for it. It’s gonna be cool.”

Wesneski won’t pitch this series — his turn in the rotation won’t come around until Friday in Philadelphia — but that doesn’t mean it won’t be memorable for him and his family. He thinks he’ll have around “15 to 20” ticket requests each game. It’s been a special few weeks for Wesneski and his family — just over a week ago, his mother, Lisa, saw him pitch in the majors for the first time after she finished treatment for Leukemia.  

Special day for Hayden Wesneski & his mom Lisa 🤍 pic.twitter.com/MoMcos9G8v

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) May 7, 2023

The 25-year-old grew up an Astros fan and his favorite pitcher was a fellow righty starter, Roy Oswalt. “The Wizard of Os” pitched for the Astros from 2001 to 2010 and was a three-time All-Star with Houston.

“He was my guy,” Wesneski said. “I’ve cheered for all of ’em, but Roy Oswalt’s the one I remember the most.”

Wesneski was cheering Oswalt on in 2005, when he was part of the Astros’ potent rotation featuring Andy Pettitte and Roger Clemens that went on to the World Series in 2005, losing to the White Sox.

“[Third-base coach] Willie [Harris] was on the freaking [White Sox] and he wears me out with the ring,” Wesneski said with a smile. “At the time I was 7-8 years old watching the Astros in the World Series. But it sucked they got swept.”

Wesneski remained an Astros fan growing up, cheering on the most recent core of success featuring players like José Altuve and Alex Bregman.

“I haven’t thought of it a whole lot, but I think it’s gonna really hit me when I get there just to see all those guys,” Wesneski said. “It was really cool just to see your guys that I watched in college in their World Series run and then last year and just cheering for them when I was growing up. It’s cool to watch. Just to see all these guys, how much they meant to me when I was younger.”

When Wesneski steps onto the field at Minute Maid Park, he’ll do so as a major leaguer, just like Oswalt, Bregman and the countless other Astros players he grew up watching and he’ll do so with plenty of support behind him in person.

“It’s nice to see all my friends and family,” Wesneski said. “I’m excited definitely, go see my family home and some of my friends and I’m pretty sure a lot of them are going to come to the games.”