The Houston Astros knew their postseason path would be difficult after an uneven regular season. What they may not have expected was such a chilly reception from their own fans when the playoffs arrived at Daikin Park.
Houston entered the American League Wild Card series against the Chicago White Sox after barely reaching the postseason. The Astros finished 81-81 but still won the AL West, setting up a home playoff series despite a season that fell well short of the dominant records Houston fans have grown accustomed to seeing.
Game 1 quickly exposed the club’s frustration.
Empty Seats and Boos Greet the Astros
When Astros players took the field, plenty of empty seats were visible around Daikin Park. The announced attendance was 34,011, more than 7,000 below capacity, and the 4 p.m. local start time likely did not make filling the stadium any easier.
Then came the boos.
Houston fell 6-3 as Chicago collected 11 hits, leaving the Astros facing elimination. During the loss, parts of the home crowd made their displeasure clear, and several Houston players made it clear afterward, too.
Reliever Bennett Sousa, who heard boos after throwing two sliders in the dirt during the seventh inning, suggested years of deep postseason runs may have changed expectations in Houston.
“The fans here are definitely spoiled with a lot of ALCS and World Series runs, and we have to earn that right to bring this team back to that position,” Sousa said.
He contrasted the atmosphere with what he believed Houston experienced earlier in its playoff run.
“That being said, when this team was in their first playoff series 10 years ago, Minute Maid Park was probably packed,” Sousa said. “It makes a big difference. If we were in Chicago, it’d probably be loud as s***.”
Sousa said the players understand how their performance may look from outside the clubhouse, but argued the effort behind the scenes hasn’t changed.
“As a team, we know that we lay it on the line every day,” he said. “We’ve been working our ass off. We’ve been playing hard. We got in the playoffs. We really need the support of our fans.”
Christian Walker Questions What the Boos Accomplish
Yordan Alvarez took a less confrontational approach. Speaking through an interpreter, Alvarez said the players understood the frustration and were disappointed they could not deliver a victory.
“Tomorrow we’re going to try and go out and give them the win they deserve,” Alvarez said.
Christian Walker was more pointed.
Walker committed a costly throwing error in the first inning and acknowledged that this Astros team should not automatically be measured against Houston clubs that routinely piled up victories.
“You can’t assume a team is going to win 100 games every year,” Walker said. “It’s really, really hard to get to the postseason. We had to do a lot of things right along the way. We had to face a lot of adversity.”
But the booing clearly bothered him.
“It’s extremely frustrating as a home player,” Walker said. “We’re here, playing at home; we need cheers. We need energy. We don’t need boos. What purpose does that serve in that moment?”
Walker added that whatever frustration fans are feeling is even more intense for the players themselves.
“We’re the ones out there. We’re the ones in the fight,” he said. “We worked our butts off this whole season to put ourselves in this spot, and for guys to get booed, it’s frustrating.”
Houston Faces a Win-or-Go-Home Game 2
Houston won’t have much time to debate the relationship between the players and the crowd.
The Astros now face a straightforward assignment in Game 2: win or go home. Hunter Brown is scheduled to take the mound for Houston against Chicago’s Sean Burke.
After an 81-81 regular season, a sparse-looking ballpark, and a Game 1 filled with boos, the Astros have reached the point where one victory is all it takes to keep their season alive.
