Let’s kick off this article with a full disclaimer. This article is written by a die-hard and lifelong New York Yankees fan. The point being, this was too much fun to write. Anyways, according to reports from Andrew Joseph at For The Win, Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros got their first taste of heckling in 2021.
As Joseph mentioned, with the 2020 season played almost entirely without fans, the accused-cheating Astros sort of got it easy last year. This upcoming regular season marks the first year that Houston will play in front of fans at visiting ballparks following the 2019 sign-stealing scandal. But, this first taste of heckling wasn’t quite what we expected.
Marlins staffer reportedly hit a trash can during Alex Bregman’s at-bat on Sunday
Surprisingly, the heckling didn’t come from an angry fan. Rather, a security guard working for the Miami Marlins Spring Training ballpark in Jupiter, Fla. Amazing!
During Bregman’s first at-bat on Sunday, this security guard proudly banged a trash can before every pitch. And yes, he was proudly wearing his official security uniform. While no video of the event has been found on Twitter, Astros beat writer Chandler Rome gave us the play-by-play. Bregman struck out looking to end this at-bat.
What a time to be alive. A member of the ballpark security team at Roger Dean Stadium — wearing an official polo with SECURITY in big letters on the back — just spent Alex Bregman's entire plate appearance banging a trash can before every pitch. Bregman struck out looking.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) March 21, 2021
As we put this event into further context, it should be noted how epic the performance of this security guard was. Not only did this security guard come up with a pretty flawless form of heckling, but he or she had the audacity to perform this heckling in the official uniform.
It makes you wonder. Perhaps, this security guard is a Marlins fan or general fan of baseball. This same fan could have been so disgusted in the wake of the cheating scandal, they knew one way only to enact revenge. That being the following course of action.
Step one – get hired by the Marlins Spring Training facility. Step two – work long enough to earn a good standing with the bosses. Step three – hide the trash can equipment somewhere in the ballpark that nobody else would find. Step four – when everyone least expects it, perform this award-winning form of heckling.
To conclude, back fully in my Yankees fan perspective, this heckling was undoubtedly worthy of an award. I’m confident that New York fans will bring a unique perspective of their own when it comes time to heckle the Houston Astros. But, in the meantime, let’s give this security guard some sort of celebration at Yankee Stadium.