Astros players express anger after fans boo team during wild-card loss to White Sox: 'We want their support.'

The Houston Astros looked very much like a team that limped its way to a division title during their 6-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the wild-card round Tuesday. Houston allowed five runs before getting on the board, and failed to mount a comeback against a White Sox team that pounded out 11 hits.

To make matters worse for Houston, a handful of the runs given up by the team were self-inflicted. Early walks resulted in the White Sox scoring their first run, a hit-by-pitch allowed the team to pick up an extra run in the second inning, a lead-off walk came around to score in the fifth and a wild pitch allowed the final run to come home in the seventh.

After that last mistake, Astros fans let the team know its play was unacceptable. Boos rained down on the team as it walked back into the dugout after the inning was over.

That didn’t sit well with multiple Astros players after the game. First baseman Christian Walker took issue with being booed at home, calling it “extremely frustrating,” per The Athletic.

“It’s extremely frustrating as a home player,” Walker said. “We’re here, playing at home; we need cheers. We need energy. We don’t need boos. What purpose does that serve in that moment? Whatever fans are feeling, we’re feeling it tenfold. We’re the ones out there. We’re the ones in the fight. We worked our butts off this whole season to put ourselves in this spot, and for guys to get booed, it’s frustrating.”

“It’s extremely frustrating as a home player,” Walker said. “We’re here, playing at home; we need cheers. We need energy. We don’t need boos. What purpose does that serve in that moment? Whatever fans are feeling, we’re feeling it tenfold. We’re the ones out there. We’re the ones in the fight. We worked our butts off this whole season to put ourselves in this spot, and for guys to get booed, it’s frustrating.”

Walker finished the contest 0-for-2 with two walks. He was the only Astros hitter to reach base multiple times in the loss.

Reliever Bennett Sousa — the player responsible for the wild pitch that allowed the White Sox to tack on another run in the seventh inning — said he was “pretty pissed off” to hear boos when he got back to the dugout.

“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. “This team has laid a lot on the line to be in this position to give the fans a playoff game — a playoff series. We want their support.”

“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. “This team has laid a lot on the line to be in this position to give the fans a playoff game — a playoff series. We want their support.”

Those comments are … probably not going to sit well with Astros fans. While the team made the playoffs, it wasn’t a particularly enjoyable watch for fans. The team limped to the finish line in September, going 11-13, barely beating out the Texas Rangers for the American League West title and nearly finishing with a sub-.500 record.

Sure, that resulted in a playoff berth, but there’s a difference between being a .500 playoff team and comfortably winning your division en route to 90+ victories.

If the Astros do want to win their fans back, their opportunity is right in front of them. Winning the next two games, dispatching the pesky White Sox and advancing to the American League Division Series would probably result in some cheers.

Anything less, and Astros fans are going to let their frustrations be known.