The Biggest Crowd of the MLB Season Showed Up at Dodger Stadium to Heckle the Astros
Some people took it too far
Nearly two years have passed since the Astros’ sign-stealing scheme was made public, but Dodgers fans are still as angry as they were the day the story broke.
Even though the Dodgers broke their World Series drought last season, fans are still upset that the cheating Astros beat them in 2017. And so when Houston came to town to begin a two-game interleague series Tuesday, L.A. fans came out in droves to let the Astros hear it.
The game attracted 52,692 fans, about 3,000 shy of a sellout but still the largest crowd at any MLB game this season. They got the heckling started well before first pitch.
There were, of course, inflatable trash cans.
And even a toddler dressed in a trash can costume.
A couple of the trash cans made it onto the field.
The trash can stuff, even if it interrupts the game briefly, is all fun and games, but some fans crossed the line. Mookie Betts said before the game that he was expecting there to be fights in the stands. And there were. Fans started throwing trash at a Houston fan and then a fight broke out.
Cops also stepped in when two L.A. fans started threatening each other on the concourse.
Other fans clashed with security guards as they attempted to control the rowdy fans.
(Thanks to The Big Lead for compiling those videos.)
What an ugly scene. In that first video, there’s a kid caught right in the middle of the trash throwing. The Astros hate has been a fun story for all baseball fans to unite behind, but it’s possible to take it too far. When Houston made its first postscandal trip to Yankee Stadium in May, the atmosphere was raucous but not violent. Maybe the reduced capacity in the Bronx (10,850 fans) is somewhat responsible for that, but fans should be able to get loud and passionate in packed stadiums without starting fights.
Frankly, the Astros hate is a little overblown at this point. Most of the players involved in the sign-stealing scandal are gone now. By next season, it’s possible that only Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa and Alex Bregman will remain from the scandal-plagued 2018 team. Those guys will (and probably should) be booed for as long as they remain in Houston, but it’s time to stop making Astros road games all about the cheating. Fans are getting it out of their systems after games were played in empty ballparks last year, but hopefully by next year they’ll stick to booing Altuve, Correa and Bregman when they’re introduced and not start any more fights.
The best of SI
Washington Football Team rookie Sammis Reyes took the unlikely path from Chile, to Division I basketball to the NFL. ... Head-to-head rivalries have been the biggest story of the Olympic track events. ... The threat to move the Bills to Austin is hollow and heartless. ... The medalists in women’s park skateboarding seemed almost as happy for one another as for themselves.
Who wants free stuff?
The giveaway from yesterday’s Hot Clicks is still active!
Around the sports world
Philip Rivers isn’t ruling out an NFL comeback. ... The Panthers cut safety J.T. Ibe after his hit on receiver Keith Kirkwood that required Kirkwood to be stretchered off the field. ... The leaders of the Big 12 and Pac-12 met to discuss some kind of alliance, with the departure of Texas and Oklahoma looming. ... The Greek synchronized swimming team has been knocked out of the Olympics after four athletes tested positive for COVID-19.
The day after the men’s 400-meter hurdles record fell, so did the women’s
Mookie Betts looks like a natural at second base
I’d score this an error but still, good hustle
The way they stopped running at the same time is comedic gold
A kid in the stands asked Jean Segura what his favorite ice cream flavor is and he responded before hitting a game-tying single
Another instance of Joe Judge's coaching like a high school coach
Practice also ended early because of a teamwide brawl that featured Daniel Jones at the bottom of the pile.
The logo on the ceiling is so cool
The decision to sell at the deadline is not going over well
Canadians are thrilled to have the Jays back in Toronto
Extremely relatable
Not sports
A drunk driving checkpoint in Canada got shut down early because the city ran out of tow trucks. ... Dwayne Johnson won’t be in Fast 10 or Fast 11 due to his beef with Vin Diesel. ... A slime mold that can think despite not having a brain will be sent to space to test how it is impacted by low gravity. ... A Canadian trucker got scammed into carrying more than $3 million in weed to the U.S. border.
Uncanny
A good song
Email dan.gartland@si.com with any feedback or follow me on Twitter for approximately one half-decent baseball joke per week. Bookmark this page to see previous editions of Hot Clicks and find the newest edition every day. By popular request I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the music featured here. Visit our Extra Mustard page throughout each day for more offbeat sports stories.
