Power Rankings: April Astro-Hate Power Rankings

2.  Oakland A’s

The four-game series against the A’s was full of angry Oakland residents, throwing high levels of scorn at our boys in orange. The venom was at an all-time high. I guess living in constant quarantine and paying $3,500 a month for a 900 square foot apartment would lead anyone to have some pent-up frustration, so I can’t exactly fault those fans.

Boy – were those fans vicious early. The entire teams was booed harshly when they were announcing lineups. Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa heard it all on opening night, ranging from “cheater” to some choice 4-letter words I can’t write. And ESPN was more than willing to showcase the fan-hate on TV. Everyone’s sign was on display with ESPN and fans were first pumping each other early. They clearly circled the calendar for this one.

However, those boos turned to whimpers quick. The Houston Astros came out and beat up the A’s, outscoring them 36-9 in a four-game sweep. The highlight of the series was Carlos Correa body-slamming Matt Chapman to convert a double-play, a play that made every Oakland fan in stands whine like a child. The avalanche of momentum frankly took the life out those A’s fans – Houston was relentless and the fan groans and Astro bats were the only thing you could hear in the Coliseum. By the end of the series, the fans were more bitter about their own team than the 2017 Astros.

Just about everything has gone well for Oakland since then (and everything has gone wrong for Houston) but this was a “put them in their place” performance by the Astros. When it matters, Houston is better than Oakland. Don’t believe me? Revisit the 2020 ALDS.

Best Moment: Sign by a fan – “Baseball Fans Haven’t Forgotten Cheaters! Respect the Game”.  Couldn’t agree more with this fan, so respect to him. I wonder what his opinion is on Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire and the Oakland A’s 1989 title?

Worse Moment(s): Sign by a fan – “Altuve .472 BA home, .143 BA away –  Correa .371 BA home, .211 BA away – Bregman .293 BA home, .154 BA away  – THAT’S SUS!”

In 2017 Carlos Correa hit .333 at home and .301 on the road, Jose Altuve hit .311 at home and .388 on the road, and Alex Bregman hit .278 at home, .293 on road. The only thing “sus” about this is this fan’s general understanding of stats. It’s never too late to finish high school, buddy.

Cheering when Michael Brantley got HBP. The pitch wasn’t at all intentional, but the fans sure did enjoy it. I doubt any of those fans have been hit on the hand with a 95 MPH fastball. That was pathetic – be better, Oakland.