There were many heroes during the Houston Astros’ run to their first World Series title last year, but the team decided to honor a local entrepreneur whose heroic work helped the city recover from Hurricane Harvey last year.
Gallery Furniture owner Jim McIngvale, known as "Mattress Mack," received a World Series ring from the team, according to an Instagram post Friday by his daughter, Laura McIngvale Brown.
McIngvale paid off a bet it made with customers last year, a wager that cost his business $10 million. McIngvale bet that if the Astros won the World Series, customers who had spent $3,000 on mattresses would receive a full refund.
McIngvale also surprised 20 Astros fans and 20 first responders with tickets to Game 6 of the World Series and flew the group to Los Angeles on a chartered plane, KHOU reported.
He also made headlines when he opened his mattress warehouse and stores as shelters for Houston-area residents affected by floods in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey.