LOS ANGELES -- On Tuesday night, inflatable gray garbage cans decorated Dodger Stadium. They bounced along packed sections of seats like beach balls. A few of them made it onto the field of play along with some foul balls from the Houston Astros. The 52,692 sold-out crowd -- the largest at any major league game this year -- cheered lustily when a public speaker threatened to eject fans who hurled objects. The crowd booed louder and more passionately every time Jose Altuve or Carlos Correa entered the field, a sign of the intensity that can be expected from at least 19 months worth of frustration.Los Angeles Dodgers couldn't keep up the intensity. They managed just five hits against Lance McCullers Jr., a trio Astros relievers, and lost 3-0 in one their most anticipated matchups of the season. However, their fans were overwhelmingly supportive of their efforts.Dusty Baker, Astros manager and ex-Dodgers outfielder, said that it was a playoff atmosphere. "These fans love the Dodgers. They bleed Dodger Blue, I saw it firsthand. It was thrilling. Although it's not often I find myself wanting to play in a video game, this was one that I would have loved to.A few inflatable garbage cans were among those thrown onto the field by L.A.'s Astros team on Tuesday night. Gary A. Vasquez - USA TODAY SportsMookie Betts made a diving catch in the fifth innings, as part of a precautionary measure to protect his sore hip. Walker Buehler left a runner behind and kept the 1-0 deficit at bay to complete six innings, his 21st consecutive season of 22 starts. It erupted when Cody Bellinger lifted a deep drive to the center field, despite struggling with a major-league-low of.165 batting. This resulted in an outfield flyout. The air was filled with cheers and boos after Altuve's error in the fourth, and when he was taken out in the seventh. It let out a collective sigh as the ninth's final out was recorded.The Astros won an American League-best 65-42 while the Dodgers fell to 64-44. This is 3 1/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants, who are currently in first place in the National League West.After lowering his ERA down to 2.16, Buehler stated that "they sustained the noise," which is a tip to our fans. "Obviously, there were a few stops in the game. It was just stuff happening on the field. We get it. It's a fascinating thing. I believe the emotion is justified, and there's not much we can do to change it. It's certainly different from most other baseball games.The Astros' signature-stealing techniques during the 2017 championship-winning season were exposed by The Athletic in November 2019. They involved reading catchers' signs using a special monitor, and then communicating them to hitters through banging on a trashcan. Major League Baseball confirmed this in January 2020. A.J. Hinch, Alex Cora, and Carlos Beltran were all fired in the aftermath. Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow was also fired. The players were not punished. MLB gave immunity for their testimony.The Dodgers lost seven World Series games to the Astros, and their players were vocally furious. Their fans were also angry, and they only got to express their anger on Tuesday night.In the COVID-19-shortened season that followed, the Dodgers faced the Astros four more times. However, fans were not permitted to stand in the stands. The backdrop for the earlier games between the two teams was Houston's Minute Maid Park. In late May, a large number of Dodgers fans attended the games. Many others waited outside Dodger Stadium holding signs, trash cans, and megaphones in anticipation of the Astros' bus arriving in September and October 2020. This was all part of Tuesday's crescendo."The anger is still present, mostly because the player didn't have anything happen -- no suspensions or generally a weak penalty for the organization since that's what Rob Manfred was permitted to do," Clint Pasillas said, the lead editor of Dodgers Nation, which is a popular website for Dodgers fans. "The way the players handled it -- that just has really annoyed fans, in my view, and also ourselves. Altuve, Carlos Correa - the way they handled it, how they walked around as if something was special, even though the numbers said otherwise.Fans were given pamphlets at the Dodger Stadium parking lot, informing them of specific anti-Astros chants. T-shirts were worn by fans to honor Joe Kelly, the Dodgers reliever who threw at Correa's head and made a sad face on the way back. He was a cult hero and was called the "Trash-stros" by his supporters. Many even dressed up as "Oscar the Grouch," the Sesame street character who lives in a trash can. Many others also waived orange foamasterisks.As they settled into the batter’s box for pregame batting practice about 90 minutes before the first pitch, the loud boos began for Altuve & Correa. They kept going when they returned to the field about an hour later to stretch, and continued for nine more plate appearances.McCullers, who was one of five Astros on the 2017 team, said, "It was evidently a lot of cheering but I enjoyed it." "I enjoyed it."Will Smith, Dodgers' catcher, admitted that Buehler may have been out of rhythm due to all the stops in action as trash and baseballs were dumped onto the field. Ryne Stanek, Astros relief pitcher, saved Ryan Pressly who was on paternity leave. He said that fans sitting near the right-field bullpen were throwing "basically full beers" at each other for half an inning.The Astros nonetheless persevered. They've been jeered wherever they have been this season, most notably at Yankee Stadium and Dodger Stadium. Angel Stadium saw a garbage can get onto the warning track. But, the Astros still managed to remain in first place.Blake Taylor, Astros relief pitcher, said that it takes a special player to wear an Astros jersey. It's hard to endure the criticism that you will get at every stadium you walk into. It is a difficult task to ask many guys to do. The crew we have, right now, is all in it together. They realize that they are not the only ones going through it. Every person in the clubhouse is booed when they walk onto the field. They are also called "cheaters" and other such things. We are all one big family, and have each others backs no matter what.
