After losing Game 1 of their playoff series against the White Sox with a score of 6-3 at Dalkin Park, the Houston Astros criticized fan support during the game. The announced attendance was 34,011, about 21 percent below a full house for the playoff match. Reliever Bennett Sousa and first baseman Christian Walker expressed frustration over the boos and lack of fan energy, despite some cheers for standout performances by players like Jose Altuve and Miguel Ullolá. The Astros entered the playoffs with an 81-81 record, their worst in MLB history, leading to mixed fan reactions during a bullpen game that struggled early on.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-30,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox, two unlikely playoff teams with remarkable turnaround stories, faced off in a best-of-three AL Wild Card Series starting on Tuesday in Houston. The Astros clinched their division title despite ending the regular season at exactly .500 (81-81), marking them as baseball’s first such division winner. In contrast, the White Sox overcame losing 100 games each of the last three seasons to secure a playoff spot.
In Game 1 on Tuesday, the White Sox took an early lead with four runs in the first inning and won 6-3 despite the Astros employing a bullpen game strategy led by AJ Blumbaugh. The announced attendance was sparse at 34,011, leading to fan frustration among the players who heard boos throughout the game.
The White Sox continued their strong performance on Wednesday, sweeping the series with a 7-3 victory in Game 2. This marked Chicago's first playoff series win since 2005 and advanced them to face the AL Central champion Cleveland Guardians in the Division Series starting Saturday in Cleveland.
Despite Houston’s playoff woes at home—dropping their ninth straight home playoff game—they expressed disappointment over fan support, with players like Bennett Sousa feeling that they needed more encouragement from their audience. Manager Will Venable of the White Sox praised his team for maintaining belief and achieving a historic turnaround to clinch this victory.
Written for “White Sox Playoff Run” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 16 other(s) covering the same event.
The White Sox took Game 1 in Houston, but all the team could talk about after was their fans – or lack thereof, apparently.
uncertain
team → take → Houston
The Astros heard the boo birds during their 6-3 loss at Dalkin Park, where the announced crowd was 34,011 — about 21 percent below a sellout for the playoff game.
asserted
crowd → hear → game
Reliever Bennett Sousa called the fan base “definitely spoiled,” having made the ALCS seven times straight from 2017-23.
asserted
Sousa → call → 2017
The Astros have the worst record of any playoff team (81-81) in MLB history, having snuck into the playoffs after winning the floundering AL West.
“As a team and as a staff, we know how we feel about our guys.
asserted
we → have → guys
And if that’s felt differently from the outside — that’s OK.
asserted
that → feel → outside
We can live with that,” Sousa told reporters, per The Athletic.
asserted
Sousa → live → Athletic
“But as a team, we know that we lay it on the line every day.
asserted
we → know → line
We’ve been working our ass off.
asserted
We → work → ass
We’ve been playing hard.
asserted
We → play → ?
We got in the playoffs.
asserted
We → get → playoffs
We just really need the support of our fans.”
asserted
We → need → fans
They employed a bullpen game to start this series and the boos began in the first two innings.
asserted
boos → employ → innings
Those boos became increasingly louder by the seventh inning, drowning out any cheers that may have been coming while the Astros tried to rally.
AJ Blubaugh walked three of the first five batters he faced as the opener and one scored before Chicago added two more in the second to make Houston’s bullpen plans go up in flames.
uncertain
plans → become → flames
For Sousa, he didn’t do a lot to inspire faith after entering a 5-2 game in the seventh inning and immediately allowing two base runners.
asserted
he → do → runners
When Braden Montgomery stepped into the box with runners on second and third with out, Sousa threw two sliders to catcher Yanier Diaz, who couldn’t handle them, and one run scored on a wild pitch.
asserted
run → step → pitch
“I’m not going to lie to you, I was pretty pissed off in the dugout when I came in, about the boos,” Sousa said, according to The Atheltic.
uncertain
Sousa → go → Atheltic
“This team has laid a lot on the line to be in this position to give the fans a playoff game — a playoff series.
asserted
team → lay → game
We want their support.”
asserted
We → want → support
Baseball is a results-oriented business and asking for cheers with that kind of performance is asking a lot.
asserted
asking → orient → lot
Still, the stadium failing to sell 7,157 tickets — based on the announced crowd — is rather alarming.
asserted
failing → fail → crowd
“It’s extremely frustrating as a home player,” Astros first baseman Christian Walker said, per The Athletic.
asserted
Walker → ’ → Athletic
“We’re here, playing at home; we need cheers.
asserted
we → ’re → cheers
We need energy.
asserted
We → need → energy
We don’t need boos.
asserted
We → need → boos
What purpose does that serve in that moment?
asserted
that → serve → moment
Whatever fans are feeling, we’re feeling it tenfold.
asserted
we → feel → it
We’re the ones out there.
asserted
We → ’re → ?
We’re the ones in the fight.
asserted
We → ’re → fight
We worked our butts off this whole season to put ourselves in this spot, and for guys to get booed, it’s frustrating.”
asserted
it → work → spot
Home fans did cheer for the team at different points of the game, but those were mostly few and far between.
asserted
those → cheer → game
Beloved star Jose Altuve earned cheers from the fans when he legged out an infield single in the eighth, and rookie pitcher Miguel Ullola received some positive feedback when he escaped a bases-loaded jam in the second inning to keep the game 3-0.
asserted
he → earn → game
Ace righty Hunter Brown will take the mound in Houston in an elimination Game 2 on Wednesday, though it is not currently a sellout according to the official team site, as there are hundreds of tickets still for sale in dozens of sections.
uncertain
it → take → sections
The lack of enthusiasm hasn’t stopped Houston-based furniture salesman Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale from wagering $515,000 on the Astros to win the World Series, a bet that would pay out $13 million if they win — though that looks like an even bigger long shot now than it did before the playoffs started.
asserted
playoffs → stop → shot
The Aporia
