Julio Aguilar/Getty Images
Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said
the New York crowd’s constant heckling may have played a role in Jose
Altuve’s hitless performance in Tuesday’s 7-3 loss to the Yankees.
“The fans were extremely hard on
Altuve tonight,” Baker told reporters. “He’s exerting a lot
of effort, maybe too much effort.”
Tuesday marked the Astros’ first game
in Yankee Stadium with fans since they were punished for their
sign-stealing scandal in January 2020. Baker, who’s been an MLB
player or coach since 1968, was happy the jeers didn’t turn into
anything more serious.
“At least there wasn’t any
violence. They can say whatever they want,” he said. “It
sounded like a packed house tonight even though it wasn’t. We
expected that reception, so we’ll get more of the same tomorrow and
the next day.”
Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa,
all three of whom were part of Houston’s 2017 championship team that used video to steal signs and
then relayed the information to hitters via the use of loud banging
noises, were the main focus of the Yankees fans.
(Warning: Video contains NSFW language.)
The Astros eliminated the Yanks in the
2017 American League Championship Series before beating the Los
Angeles Dodgers in the World Series to capture the franchise’s first
title.
Although general manager Jeff Luhnow
and manager A.J. Hinch were both suspended for the 2020 season as a
result of the scandal and were ultimately fired by the organization,
no players involved in the scheme faced any punishment from MLB.
Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who
hit a home run in Tuesday’s win, was surprised at how hard the fans
brought it during the series opener.
“That was intense,” Stanton
said. “I wouldn’t want to be on the other side of that. They
brought some heavy.”
Manager Aaron Boone added: “The
energy that was created, we haven’t seen that since 2019, so it was a
fun game to be a part of.”
The Yankees and Astros, who are both
contenders in the AL once again, continue their series Wednesday and
Thursday.
