Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers fan fight is MLB’s failure

Suffice to say that the Houston Astros, and their fans, are not the most popular beings in the MLB universe. There is the feeling that the league did not do enough to punish Houston for AstroGate, with Rob Manfred addressing those sentiments by calling the Commissioner’s Trophy a “chunk of metal.” Those statements only further enraged fans around the game.

The Astros have received a great deal of vitriol on the road. Fans have been heckling them mercilessly, with trash cans and constant booing. Dodgers fans made a trek to Houston for their series against the Astros, bringing that anger right to their front door. It is not a surprise that it would eventually get ugly, as was the case on Wednesday when there was a fight in the stands.

MLB to blame for fight between Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers fans

It is not a surprise that, at some point, these enflamed passions would get out of hand. Astros fans would become irate that Dodgers fans had infiltrated their ballpark and were giving their team a piece of their mind. Dodgers fans, meanwhile, would be irate that the Astros essentially existed. It was a powder keg waiting for a spark, which happened on Wednesday night.

But it did not have to come to this. Had MLB actually done something more than a fine and the forfeiture of draft picks, fans may not have been satisfied, but it would have seemed as though the league was taking the cheating scandal seriously.

Instead, the perception has been that the league essentially gave the Astros a pass. Manfred’s comments afterwards certainly did not help matters either. Yes, managers and executives were fired, but Alex Cora and A.J. Hinch returned to the game a year later. None of the players faced any punishment, and while the league may not have been able to strip the championship from Houston, they could have easily done more. Add in the lack of contrition shown by most of the current Astros, and it is no surprise that they have become so reviled.

And that is spilling out into the stands. Fans of other teams are still incensed about that perceived lack of punishment. It is not a surprise that, with such enflamed passions and emotions, these fights will happen; if anything, it is surprising that there haven’t been fights between Astros fans and other fanbases before now. And it is entirely on Major League Baseball that this has happened.

Major League Baseball refused to put the hammer down on the Houston Astros. Do not be surprised if more of these fights happen as the season continues.