After a long wait, the MLB season has finally gone underway. The opening day was a huge affair, as most stadiums allowed crowds on their premises. However, no opening day fixture is complete without some controversial decision or incident. That is exactly what happened in the Oakland Athletics vs Houston Astros game.
Matt Olson of the Athletics was wrongly called out after his third strike. It was evident from the replays that the pitch was nowhere near the strike zone and that Olson was right in leaving it. However, the decision was counted and Olson was given out.
This sparked outrage in the sellout crowd on Wednesday and social media also erupted after this decision. After this, the crowd started yelling “cheaters” at the Astros player and especially at the pitcher Zack Greinke.
Matt Olson was not pleased with this called strike three. pic.twitter.com/JnUK3Pa2h6
— Shayna Rubin (@ShaynaRubin) April 2, 2021
The Oakland Athletics get annihilated by the Astros
This was not the start the A’s would have hoped for in their worst nightmares. The Astros produced a scintillating performance against them to end the game with an 8-1 victory.
However, the star of the show was Greinke. He threw six shutout innings which were enough to silence the crowd in the ballpark.
Critics gave already started touting last year’s American League West champions as underdogs for this season.
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 01: Chad Pinder #4 of the Oakland Athletics catches a ball hit by Jose Altuve
This game marked the return of Platinum Glove third baseman Matt Chapman. He missed almost the entirety of the pandemic-stricken 2020 season wing to a right-hip injury which kept him out of action. Talking about the underdog conversation which is doing the rounds, he said, “We like being the underdogs. That just means we’re playing with house money.”
He continued, “We’re not expected to do anything, so everything we do is great. But I know it’s a different vibe in this clubhouse. We’re expecting to win the division.”
The next game in this regular-season series will be held on 3rd April at the same venue. The Athletics will be looking to revert back in some style after this loss.
Read More: Alex Cora Asserts Eduardo Rodríguez Is “One of the Best” Left-Handed Pitcher ‘Out There’ in MLB.
