Report: Astros complained to MLB about fan behavior

MLB fans waited more than a year to verbally abuse the Houston Astros over their cheating scandal, and some of that pent-up energy was released when the 2017 World Series champions faced the New York Yankees this week. Though, apparently at least some fans in the Bronx were unexpectedly censored.

David Taub, a Yankees fan who attended one of the games against the Astros this week, told Sports Illustrated that he showed up to Yankee Stadium in an “Oscar the Grouch” costume. That, of course, was a reference to the Astros banging on a trash can as part of their elaborate sign-stealing scheme. Taub said he was stopped by security when entering the ballpark and informed that he had to ditch the costume.

According to SI, Taub said a security guard told him “our policy changed” and that the Astros had complained to MLB about the behavior of fans in other cities. Taub said he was told MLB asked the Yankees to be a little more strict on fans during the series.

NJ Advance Media’s Brendan Kuty said he was told by a source that the Yankees were not contacted by the Astros before or during their series against them with any complaints regarding fan behavior. Officials from the Astros and MLB commissioner’s office also said they were unaware of any such complaints.

The Astros beat the Yankees in the 2017 ALCS en route to winning a title. It was later discovered that they employed an elaborate sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 and 2018 seasons. There were also suspicions that Houston cheated in 2019 when they again beat New York in the ALCS.

Plenty of Yankees fans still managed to find ways to let the Astros hear it. Still, if the Astros did complain rather than just taking their lumps, that will just give fans another reason to ride them even harder.