The Houston Astros didn't benefit from their home-field advantage to start their Wild Card Series against the Chicago White Sox. Despite finishing the 2026 season with a .500 record, the Astros host the opening round after winning the American League West. However, they lost the home crowd early in Tuesday's 6-3 loss.
Fans at Daikin Park booed when the White Sox jumped to a 3-0 lead in the second inning, prompting the Astros to make their second pitching change. First baseman Christian Walker admitted after the game that he didn't appreciate the jeers. "It's extremely frustrating as a home player," Walker said, per The Athletic's Chandler Rome.
"We’re here, playing at home; we need cheers. What purpose does that serve in that moment? Whatever fans are feeling, we’re feeling it tenfold.
We’re the ones out there. We’re the ones in the fight. We worked our butts off this whole season to put ourselves in this spot, and for guys to get booed, it’s frustrating." Bennett Sousa was the sixth of eight pitchers to enter Tuesday's game for Houston.
Fans booed when the 31-year-old reliever spiked two straight sliders in the seventh inning. "This team has laid a lot on the line to be in this position to give the fans a playoff game — a playoff series. We want their support." The Astros made their ninth playoff appearance in the last 10 years despite posting their worst full-season record since 2014.
Sousa suggested that fans became too accustomed to watching playoff baseball for a perennial championship contender. "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. "That being said, when this team was in their first (playoff) series 10 years ago, Minute Maid Park was probably packed.
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