Astros Game 1 meltdown, boo birds only compound Mariners' failure in AL West

The Houston Astros are used to being booed. Because some genies can't be put back in some trash cans, they are 29-for-30 at being despised by MLB fanbases. That they finally went 30-for-30 on Tuesday is remarkable, albeit in a laugh-or-cry sort of way for Seattle Mariners fans.

The Astros didn't just get booed by their own fans at Daikin Park on Tuesday, where they played the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of their Wild Card Series. They were booed early, often and loudly. That kind of fan behavior doesn't just happen, least of all in a playoff setting.

Given this and the fact that Daikin Park wasn't even full, you'd have been pissed if you were an Astro. So, go figure that actual members of the Astros are pissed.

“The fans here are definitely spoiled with a lot of ALCS and World Series runs, and we have to earn that right to bring this team back to that position,” reliever Bennett Sousa said, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. “That being said, when this team was in their first [playoff] series 10 years ago, Minute Maid Park was probably packed. It makes a big difference. If we were in Chicago, it’d probably be loud as s—.”

As much as one appreciates Bennett needing to let off some steam, one is not so sure this is going to work. There are many languages in sports, but the boo is universal and only has so many translations. One of them is "Get good, you bums!" That's the one the Astros heard, and the gripe is real. After Tuesday's 6-3 loss, Astros fans have now seen this team lose more games (82) than it has won (81) in 2026.

Nobody's weeping for the Astros, but Mariners fans unfortunately can't cheer for the boos

Oh, to be a White Sox fan. Pope Leo XIV has never been more on their team's side, and a road playoff victory with a side of boos for the home team is a rare kind of elation. Good for White Sox fans. Love this for them.

Alas, poor Mariners fans. It would be so much easier to enjoy the Astros' plight if even a team as mid as them didn't have bragging rights.

This is really the team that stole back the AL West from the Mariners? Really? With 81 wins and 81 losses? It's a mean joke that becomes even less funny upon adding details, such as how the Astros had to overachieve to break even. Embarrassing, yes, but the Mariners likewise had to overachieve just to go 76-86. Criminy, what a crap season.

The Astros got dominated by the Mariners head-to-head for a fourth year in a row. If the Mariners had played half as well against everyone else, who knows? Maybe they're the ones hearing boo birds at home for stinking up the playoffs. Nobody wants that, but it still beats sitting out October.

So, go ahead and add another item to the list of things that suck about the Mariners' 2026 experience. We've finally lived to see Astros fans turning on their own team, and there's still no joy in Mudville… er, Seattle.

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