Call To Astros Fans: It’s Time To Start Showing Up To Games
By Lucas Davis
Coming off a four-game sweep at the hands of the rival Texas Rangers, the Houston Astros find themselves two and a half games out of the division lead in the American League West. The Astros are in need of a shot of life to push them into the playoffs and the only way that is going to happen is if the Houston faithful show up to support them in the final home stand.
The Astros just wrapped up a 2-8 road trip, losing the lead in the division and proving to be the worst road team in baseball with a 29-46 record. Still on top of the Minnesota Twins for the second wild card spot and heading home, if Houston is going to take back the divisional lead, or even make the playoffs, using home-field advantage is a crucial to their success.
As bad as they are on the road, Houston is equally as dominant at home where they boast an AL best 48-24 record. With three games against the Oakland Athletics, two against the Anaheim Angels and three against the Rangers at Minute Maid Park, the Astros have a chance to turn their bad fortune around and build up steam for a playoff run. To do that, the fans need to start showing up and support the team.
According to a story from Even Drellich of the Houston Chronicle in early September, the Astros are selling an average of 26,110 tickets per game, more than 4,500 tickets sold at this time last season. However, scanning the field during the last home stand — which ended with a 3-3 record — the crowd seemed oddly thin for a team in the midst of a turnaround season and trying to make the playoffs for the first time in a decade.
More alarming, Drellich went on to write that in the last seven games played at Minute Maid Park on a Monday through Thursday, the Astros had an attendance record of over 20,000 just once.
That is unacceptable for a young team attempting to punch their ticket to the playoffs. It’s understandable the fans were cautious early in the year after coming off of five-consecutive dreadful seasons. But this Houston team is different than in years past, and has built enough equity up over the season to prove they’re real contenders this season.
For the Astros to make a run at the playoffs, the fans have to show up in droves in order to bring back the home-field advantage that used to be Minute Maid Park.
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More than 10 years ago when the Astros were in the thick of a playoff race year in and year out, Minute Maid Park was one place opposing teams never wanted to play. The reason? The noise made from sellout crowds every night made it impossible to ignore for the away team.
That same type of environment is what’s needed during the next nine games, and it is the one thing that will help get the Astros back on track and into the postseason.
For a young team in their first chance to make it past the regular season, nothing can help give them confidence like the city of Houston ready to put them on their backs with undying support during the final home stand of the season.
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