Astros get the brunt of anger from grouchy fans
Even Oscar the Grouch showed up at Angel Stadium on Tuesday to trash the Houston Astros.
A person in a life-sized costume of Sesame Street’s trash can-dwelling green creature sat nine rows behind the Astros’ dugout while the Angels finished their twogame series with the Astros, who won the second game 4-2.
Houston will get the full force of baseball fans’ displeasure over their sign-stealing scandal this season, and Anaheim has been quite inhospitable to the Angels’ AL West rivals — just as Oakland was last weekend in the Astros’ first road series of the new season.
The fans at both games in Anaheim incessantly booed the Astros veterans who were involved with the cheating scheme while winning the 2017 World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, who play just 30 miles up the I-5 freeway from Angel Stadium. Angels fans and Dodgers fans typically don’t get along, but they’re united behind this particular cause.
On Monday night, fans threw an inflatable trash can and a real trash can out of the elevated right-field stands and onto the Angel Stadium warning track. They also serenaded the Astros with chants, although “Cheaters!” was perhaps the most printable.
Angels fans displayed critical signs in the ballpark at both games, with sentiments along the lines of: “If you’re looking for a sign from God, the Astros probably stole it!”
Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Yuli Gurriel and Carlos Correa have borne the brunt of baseball fans’ displeasure since the scandal broke, and that hasn’t changed. Angels fans were mostly careful not to boo Astros catcher Martin Maldonado, who was with the Angels in 2017 and for most of the 2018 season before being traded to Houston.
Along with the constant, usual jeering while at the plate, Bregman got a raft of boisterous boos in the third inning Tuesday when he questioned at length a called third strike by umpire Angel Hernandez on a pitch that appeared to be well outside the zone.
Astros manager Dusty Baker, not around during the 2017-18 misbehavior, lamented the world’s overall lack of civility after Houston blew a late lead and lost 7-6 to the Angels on Monday night, much to the fans’ pleasure.
“I think that sometimes we need to look at ourselves before you spew hate on somebody else,” Baker said. “It’s a sad situation ... I mean, what are the kids supposed to think in the stands? ... And some of them are kids that are following their parents. It’s sad to me. People make mistakes. We paid for ours, and I wish they’d leave it alone.”
Trivia question
Happy birthday to former major leaguer Brett Tomko, who turns 48 today and had two stints with the Padres. With what team did Tomko start his major league career?
They said it
• From Tim Hunter of KRKO Radio in Everett, Wash., on the CDC declaring fully vaccinated people OK travel: “Especially if they’re fully vaccinated and play in the NBA.”
• From ex-Raiders receiver Tim Brown ,to the Chico Enterprise-Record, after his hole-inone on Sawgrass’ famous island hole: “People have been reaching out to me saying, ‘Tim, I’m not trying to pooh-pooh on your Heisman Trophy and the Hall of Fame, but this is your biggest sports accomplishment ever.’ ”
Trivia answer
Tomko began his 14-year career with the Cincinnati Reds.