For the first time since the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal of 2017 was unearthed, the team is headed to the Bronx to face the Yankees, whom they defeated that same year in the ALCS.
While capacity limits only allow for approximately 10,000 fans to attend games in New York, Astros manager Dusty Baker does not seem to think that will lessen the atmosphere for the highly anticipated series.
“It’s going to be wild,” he said, per Audacy MLB Insider, Bob Nightengale.
While the Astros have heard the taunting and boos from fans across stadiums they have visited so far this year, it may be a bit more aggressive at Yankee Stadium.
Yankees fans, and players, have been among the most vocal and angry toward the Astros, feeling as if the 2017 team was robbed of a chance to win the World Series.
The fact that the Astros beat the Yankees in the ALCS again in 2019 — which prompted further unsubstantiated cheating conspiracies around the internet — has only intensified a rivalry between the two franchises.
Baker, who was not the manager at the time of the scandal, has grown tired of the booing and taunting and made that clear back in spring training. He pointed out to the Houston Chronicle on Sunday that there are few players from that team who are even still there.
“So are people boing the person? Are they booing the uniform, or are they boing the organization?” he asked. “Most guys weren’t even here, including myself. What are you going to do? You can’t control what people do. You can only control what you do and how you feel.”
Alex Bregman, who was on the 2017 team and is one of the core players of that championship team, echoed Baker’s sentiment.
“We’re just here to play baseball,” he said, per Nightengale. “Not worried. We got bigger things to worry about.”
Added catcher Martin Maldonado: “I feel like we’re getting booed anywhere we’re at, so I expect nothing different.”
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