Should Rangers Fans Carry On Bronx Hate Toward Astros?
The Houston Astros are reportedly complaining to Major League Baseball about fan taunting as a result of their 2017 cheating scandal, just in time for the Astros to come to Globe Life Field and face the Texas Rangers next week.
The Astros just wrapped up a series with the New York Yankees on Thursday, a team the Astros beat in the 2019 American League Championship Series. Yankees fans went to great lengths to make sure the Astros didn’t forget about the cheating scandal, according to Sports Illustrated’s Jimmy Traina.
Traina and fellow SI writer Stephanie Apstein reported that one Yankees fan went so far as to don an Oscar the Grouch costume and bring an inflatable trash can with him to haze Astros players for several innings. The trash can, of course, was part of how the Astros cheated on their run to the 2017 World Series.
Another Yankees fan wore an Astros jersey with ‘Cheaters’ and ‘17’ on the back.
SI reported that the Astros complained to MLB about the behavior, but both the Astros and the commissioner’s office told SI that no complaint was made. NJ.com’s Brendan Knuty reported that the Yankees disclosed they had received no complaints from the Astros, either.
So, then which is it? Complaining or no complaining?
Or are the Astros just taking their medicine, finally, after a COVID-19-shortened 2020 season?
To recap, the Astros were found guilty my MLB of an elaborate sign-stealing system that involved using its replay room, video monitors, and a system of relaying signs that included using a trash can to tip off Astros hitters to pitches in 2017, including their postseason run. This cost manager A.J. Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow their jobs, the Astros first- and second-round picks in 2020 and 2021, and a $5 million fine. While the Astros reportedly weren’t the only team that did this, they were at the center of the scandal.
Astros players were interviewed for the investigation but were given immunity in exchange for their testimony. During the Yankees series, players like Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, and Alex Bregman — who were part of that 2017 World Series run — bore the brunt of Yankees fans’ hazing.
And the Astros wonder why fans are upset with them.
The Rangers will play the Astros for the first time this season on next week's road trip. However, the Rangers will host Houston the following weekend on May 21-23. How should Rangers fans treat the Astros when they visit Globe Life Field?
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You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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