It’s like clockwork. The moment José Altuve steps up to the plate in an opposing stadium, the boobirds come out.
That will especially be the case this ALCS with the Houston Astros heading to Arlington to play the Texas Rangers in Game 5. It happens every time he’s on the road.
It’s not something the eight-time All-Star is going to let bother him, however.
“You know, when I go to hit, I just focus on the guy throwing the ball and the catcher and me,” Altuve told the media on Friday. “That’s the only three things I really put all my attention.”
Altuve continued …
“Hitting is hard, and if you start paying attention to other things, you won’t be able to hit these guys,” he said. “You really need a hundred percent focus on the guy throwing the ball and the ball and try to hit it.”
The booing is on the heels of the 2017 cheating scandal where the Astros during their World Series run had later been exposed by former pitcher Mike Fiers to have been stealing signs electronically.
Fiers, in an interview with The Athletic, said the organization had used a video camera in center field to look for pitching signs from the opposing catcher and send audio cues to hitters.
MLB launched an investigation and it was confirmed. Altuve was a part of that team.
Since then, in 2019, the league hadn’t found any evidence to show the team had stolen signs electronically, or of the related, during their 2019 World Series championship run.
Needless to say, fans weren’t too happy about it, and they largely still resent him for it…
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.