Houston Astros right fielder Josh Reddick is happy is team got a big win against the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the America League Championship Series on Tuesday night and they are now two wins from going to the World Series. However, he’s not happy with Yankees fans for throwing debris on the field while playing.
“You throw a baseball hard enough and hit somebody in the head when they’re not looking, it could do some damage to the player, so it’s definitely disrespectful and at the same time very unsafe,” Reddick said via ESPN.
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The reason Yankees fans were throwing different objects on the field was the fact that the umpires changed a reviewed play of Edwin Encarnacion from being an infield hit to a groundout in an eighth inning. It led to the Astros winning 4-1 and taking a 2-1 lead in the series.
“I don’t think fans realize when they do that that you could hit a player. You hit a baseball player with a baseball from the third deck, it’s got a little bit of movement on it, so it can definitely do some damage to you, and it’s frustrating to see as a player in the outfield,” Reddick said. “I saw water bottles and, like, two baseballs. There were two souvenir baseballs thrown in center and left field. I got all the water bottles in right.”
What bothers Reddick the most is nothing is done to control the fans. In fact, Reddick said the security guards might have encouraged them to get after opposing players.
“The most frustrating part is there’s no action taken,” Reddick said via USA Today. “You look at the security guards, they’re just watching, not saying a thing to anybody. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were the ones helping to say that. It’s just a matter of circumstance to where they just let it ride.”
The heckling and throwing of objects from fans didn’t affect Reddick’s play as he hit a home run in the second inning. Along with the production of Reddick, the Astros got strong pitching for Gerrit Cole, striking out seven batters and giving up zeros runs in seven innings.
“We showed up at the ballpark today feeling like it’s a must-win game for the simple fact Gerrit was on the mound,” Astros shortstop Carlos Correa said via the team’s official website.
Game 5 of the ALCS will be on Thursday.
