HOUSTON — There are two images of David Hensley. And when you talk about both of them, it’s hard to imagine that they are separated by only two years. The first came in 2020, when COVID-19 shut down baseball. Hensley, a non-prospect drafted in the 26th round two years earlier, worked 40 hours a week in a marble and tile warehouse in California. The day started at 5:30 a.m. He’d garnered a $1,000 signing bonus to start his pro ball career. This was necessary to make a living. Then there’s 2022, in the early evening on Tuesday. After an electrifying 8-7 walk-off win in the Astros’ postseason opener, soon-to-be-three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander gave Hensley’s rally-starting, full-count hit-by-pitch a shoutout in the clubhouse in front of the whole team. Hensley was the first base runner in the ninth inning ahead of Yordan Alvarez’s walk-off homer. Now, a player that Hensley always looked up to was now recognizing his accomplishment. “Not to go overlooked is the first playoff at-bat for Hensley,” Verlander told a throng of reporters after the walk-off. “That’s what makes this team so special. It’s not just one person.” It’s always cool when you can witness someone in the middle of the most unbelievable moment of their life. It’s hard to imagine anything better for the 26-year-old Hensley. Rewind to Hensley’s junior year at San Diego State. He hit .357 with an .895 OPS. An objectively great college season. But he went undrafted.