Jose Altuve targeted by Yankees fan chant despite being thousands of miles away
May 22, 2021; Arlington, Texas, USA; Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve (27) takes batting practice before the game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
New York Yankees fans never miss an opportunity to go at Jose Altuve … even when he is in a different time zone.
During Saturday’s game between the Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays in New York, the Bronx faithful busted out an interesting chant. Brendan Kuty of The Athletic noted that an anti-Altuve refrain broke out from right field.
It's the 7th inning. Yankees are beating the Blue Jays, 9-2.
A chant from right field about Jose Altuve. I'll let you guess what they're saying.
— Brendan Kuty 🧟♂️ (@BrendanKutyNJ) April 7, 2024
Max Goodman of NJ.com confirmed that the chant was the extremely poetic “F–k Altuve!”
Altuve and the Houston Astros were a long way off on Saturday, playing against the Texas Rangers in Arlington. But the former AL MVP Altuve is still loathed by most baseball fans, including and especially Yankees fans. Altuve was a central figure in Houston’s infamous cheating scandal in the 2017 campaign (during which the Astros beat the Yankees in the ALCS). To make matters even worse, the Astros have eliminated the Yankees from the playoffs in three other seasons this last decade too (2015, 2019, and 2022).
As for why the Yankees faithful decided to bust out the anti-Altuve chant on Saturday of all days, the opposing Blue Jays have George Springer on their team. Springer was another member of that notorious 2017 Houston team, likely re-opening some old wounds. Rest assured though, Yankees fans did also get to have their day with players who were actually on the field there.