Astros get booed at home in spring training opener
The Houston Astros are going to get booed a lot this season. It turns out they’ll be getting used to it from the start of spring training.
The Astros opened their spring campaign at home to the Washington Nationals, but plenty of Nats fans made the trip. The Astros were loudly booed during introductions, despite the fact that none of the players they started Saturday were part of the 2017 team that cheated.
Various beat writers described the very awkward scene.
They just celebrated Houston's AL pennant on the big screen and cut away when José Altuve tells teammates to not take his shirt off. This is something.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) February 22, 2020
Orbit, the Astros’ mascot, goes running by the Washington side with a big Houston flag. He is booed.
— Todd Dybas (@Todd_Dybas) February 22, 2020
The Astros were heavily booed as they took the field. Their lineup tonight includes a combined 323 major league plate appearances. None of the nine players appeared in the big leagues until 2018.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) February 22, 2020
Big cheers as Dave Martinez calls over Dusty Baker and hugs him at home plate before the anthem. A cool gesture.
In a semi-related note: There is a metal trash can lid resting on the top of the Nationals' dugout, in front of a fan who presumably plans to bang it.
— Jesse Dougherty (@dougherty_jesse) February 22, 2020
It’s not really fair that a bunch of kids who had nothing to do with the scandal have to take the heat in this game, but that’s what the Astros have elected to do. It’s fair to expect that the booing will only get louder once the Astros start playing their regulars during spring, especially on the road. Those boos probably won’t be the only consequences those players face, either.
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