Houston shows Nationals fans a bit of Lone Star hospitality
Cruz Arcia Jr.’s exit from a Yankees Stadium section last week went viral.
Ballpark staff in New York escorted the Astros fan up the stairs as Yankees fans hurled expletives, popcorn and beer at Arcia, who appeared to embrace the onslaught. The Astros fan behind him gasped after a pint of beer landed on Arcia’s shoulder.
Arcia found better treatment Tuesday, when he came to Game 1 of the World Series courtesy of Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., who spotted a video online and offered Arcia the ticket.
The episode in New York begged the question: How do fans of opposing teams fare at Houston’s Minute Maid Park?
Very well, according to Nationals fans at Game 2 on Wed
nesday.
“They’ve treated us very kindly so far. We’ve enjoyed every inning,” said Larry Teague of Leesburg, Va., who attended Game 1 and was back Wednesday for Game 2. “Let’s put it this way: You’re not in New York.”
Teague, decked out in a Nationals hat and jersey, chalked up the welcoming atmosphere to southern hospitality. He said he doesn’t have any complaints, save for one fan late Tuesday who he guessed might have “had too much to drink.”
Adam Mael, a Maryland native who made the trip to Houston from Michigan, where he now lives, described the reception in the city as “amazing.”
“It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” said Mael, who said he has been to every major league ballpark. “Not just at the stadium, but people walking downtown, at restaurants… I think they’re just happy we’re not Yankees fans.”
Even as Mael made his way out of the ballpark Tuesday night, he said fans remained friendly despite the Astros’ loss.
“They were like, ‘Hey, good game,’” Mael said.
Videos of Arcia in New York garnered millions of views on social media. McCullers, sidelined this year with an elbow injury, asked Twitter followers to find Arcia. The fan replied, “I’m here sir!!”
Arcia was at Minute Maid on Tuesday night, taking in the Fall Classic while posing for selfies with other fans.
“Fans of all teams should be celebrated for loving the game, not treated like that,” McCullers told Arcia in a message the fan shared on Twitter.
McCullers was back at it in the hours before Game 2 on Wednesday, asking his followers to locate another fan who had a beer thrown at him in a Yankee Stadium restroom.
During the Yankees series, there was one memorable episode at Minute Maid in which a former Montgomery County justice of the peace was arrested after allegedly slapping an opposing fan in the back of the head. The man, James Warren Dinkins, is facing a misdemeanor assault charge in connection with that incident.
Otherwise, opposing fans across the three series have anecdotally told the Chronicle that Minute Maid and Houston are more welcoming than most.
Relatives of Tampa Bay Rays manager Kevin Cash found the ballpark congenial. Two New
Yorkers said they were disappointed by how kind the crowd was. “We thought they’d be more hostile, like they are in New York,” Ben Dranow said.
Nationals fans found much of the same.
“It’s amazing how friendly the people of Houston are,” said Ken Sacks, who made the trip from Nashville with wife Lisa. She joked that the friendliness of Astros fans “may be treason.”
Sacks said he grew up in Maryland and would beg his dad to take him to Washington Senators games, long before the team moved.
“People have been super warm, super friendly and super welcoming,” he said. One even went out of his way to recommend Mexican restaurants near the ballpark.
“I was just telling him — not a negative word yet,” said another Nationals fan, Philip Druhan of Bethesda, Md., gesturing to his son as they waited to enter the park.
For Druhan and his son Aidan, 17, the timing of the Nationals’ World Series trip to Houston couldn’t have been better.
They were set to visit San Antonio on Thursday for a relative’s 90th birthday party. Druhan said at first, he was bummed they wouldn’t be in Maryland for the games.
“He comes up with the great idea,” Druhan said of Aidan: Fly down one day early and go to the game at Minute Maid.
A few Texans were wearing red as well.
Michael Cuevas’ baseball allegiances changed abruptly in June. That’s when the Nationals drafted the 18-year-old from San Antonio.
Cuevas stood with a few friends behind the left field Crawford Box seats in the fifth inning. He was wearing Nationals red. His friends wore Astros jerseys.
He said the crowd cracked a few jokes — especially after Astros third baseman Alex Bregman belted a home-run in the first — but he wasn’t harassed too much.
Except, perhaps, by his friends.
“It’s our job,” one said.