Downtown streets in Houston that, just two months ago, were filled with the displaced and desperate, were packed on Friday night with high-spirited baseball fans as a city on a long road to recovery relished the distraction of a World Series game. While sporting success could never be anything more than light relief to those whose lives have been upended by Hurricane Harvey, Houston has embraced its baseball team and leading sports clubs and players have donated money and boosted their community outreach efforts in the wake of the floods. The NFL star JJ Watt, of the Houston Texans, who raised about $37m for hurricane relief, was to throw the ceremonial first pitch in game three of the series between the Houston Astros and the Los Angeles Dodgers.