Hinch denies report alleging he was involved in altercation
Astros manager A.J. Hinch forcefully denied a TMZ report Thursday that he was involved in an altercation following the Astros’ Game 1 loss to the Dodgers in the World Series on Tuesday night in Los Angeles.
“There was no altercation,” Hinch said. “It’s a shame I get asked about some nonsense and fabrications and non-stories, and I have to respond to it on a national stage.”
TMZ reported that Hinch was having some drinks in the bar of the team’s hotel in Pasadena, Calif., a couple hours after the game when some hotel patrons entered and trash-talked about the Astros’ 3-1 loss.
Citing anonymous sources, the report said Hinch “snapped” and was cursing and yelling in the middle of the bar, with the incident turning physical and Pasadena police being summoned. Per TMZ, no arrests were made and no police report was taken.
After Hinch denied the report, people familiar with the situation shed more light on what occurred.
Sources told the Chronicle that a group of loud, intoxicated Dodgers fans were speaking vulgarly around the Astros’ party, which included team officials and their wives. After the men were asked to watch their language, they started cursing and screaming before hotel security came and removed them from the bar.
Keuchel’s Gold Glove streak ends at 3 years
Dallas Keuchel’s three-year reign as the American League’s Gold Glove Award winner among pitchers is over.
Keuchel, who was limited to 23 starts and 1452⁄3 innings in the regular season because of injury, was not among the three finalists for this year’s award announced Thursday by Rawlings. Boston’s Chris Sale, Toronto’s Marcus Stroman and Tampa Bay’s Alex Cobb are this year’s finalists among AL pitchers.
No Astros were selected as Gold Glove Award finalists at any position.
Keuchel was charged with five errors in the regular season, which matched his total from the previous five years combined. However, the 29-year-old lefthander still led AL pitchers with nine defensive runs saved. Cobb finished a distant second with six.
Dodgers undecided on DH for Game 3
Friday’s Game 3 will be the first for the Dodgers with a designated hitter since Aug. 20 at Detroit, when they were held to one run in eight innings by future Astros righthander Justin Verlander.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday he hadn’t decided on a designated hitter for the three games at Minute Maid Park. He did say Joc Peterson would be in left field Friday and Austin Barnes would catch.
“Outside of that there’s a couple of guys that I’m thinking through on the DH spot, and just kind of really want to dig into it a little bit more,” Roberts said. “(Lance) McCullers with the curveball, both guys, him and (Charlie) Morton, are sort of reverse guys over a large sample. So, yeah, we’ll kind of think through it a little bit more.”
Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Chase Utley, Cody Bellinger, Enrique Hernandez and Barnes all got at-bats at designated hitter for the Dodgers this season. Turner got 20 of the 39, hitting .350 (7-for-20) with two RBIs and an .835 OPS. Overall, Dodgers DHs hit .205 (8-for-39) with no homers and five RBIs and a .503 OPS.
The Dodgers were 7-3 in games involving the designated hitter during the regular season.
Odds and ends
Texans’ defensive end J.J. Watt is going to throw out the first pitch before Game 3. Watt, who suffered a broken leg on Oct. 8 against the Chiefs, is still on crutches. It will be his first appearance since undergoing surgery. …
The Astros’ 11-inning win in Game 2 produced a 9.2 national Nielsen rating on Fox, down by one point from last year for Cubs-Indians but above comparable telecasts in 2014 and 2015. In Houston, the game had a 30.0 rating and a 48 share on KRIV (Channel 26), up from 28.6/44 for Game 1. Each game drew an average audience of 1.146 million viewers in the Houston area.
Los Angeles had a 27.5 rating and 47 share, up from 24.2 for Game 1.