Astros' Josh Hader pulled off the ultimate troll job while San Diego boos rained down

There's no love lost between the San Diego Padres fanbase and their former closer Josh Hader. Before he was closing out games for the Houston Astros, Hader was locking down the ninth inning — and only the ninth inning — for the Padres. The fans in San Diego didn't forget that.

No matter the occasion that called for Hader to take the mound during the Astros' current series against the Padres, the left-hander was going to hear it from the crowd at Petco Park. Hader didn't exactly leave San Diego on great terms.

Astros closer Josh Hader entered Tuesday's game against the Padres in the 8th inning

Before securing his long-term deal with the Astros this past offseason, Hader made it well known to both the Padres, and the Milwaukee Brewers before them, that he would not enter a game in a non-save situation or pitch multiple innings. That's what made his entrance on Tuesday night all the more entertaining.

Hader came on a four-out save on Tuesday night, something he'd done somewhat regularly since joining the Astros this season. Do you know how many times the southpaw did that while wearing a Padres uniform in 2023? Zero! That's right, Hader made only one appearance out of the Padres bullpen prior to the ninth inning last season, and not once did he go beyond just one inning of work.

Hader had his reasons, oftentimes citing the archaic arbitration system that rewarded relievers for stats like saves. While saves are important to teams, so are other metrics. Unfortunately, through the arbitration process, those are not considered, which is why Hader refused to enter games outside of save situations before securing a long-term deal.

When Hader came in from the bullpen with one on and two outs in the eighth inning, the fans at Petco Park booed the reliever mercilessly. And, unfortunately for Hader, the fans in attendance watched him give up the game-tying run on a wild pitch. Thankfully, Hector Neris came up big in extra innings and the Astros escaped with the 4-3 win.

Afterwards, Hader spoke to the media about pitching at Petco Park and the boos from the Padres fanbase smirking as his answer progressed. "I love this ballpark. I love pitching here," Hader said. "Obviously, I love the boos. Living rent-free is always a good time.”

When one of the reporters remarked at the irony of Hader being called upon to get four outs, he simply smiled and, with a chuckle, replied, "Enough said."

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