The Houston Astros secured a crucial win over the San Diego Padres, defeating them 4-3 in 10 innings. Josh Hader picked up the win despite blowing the save and received plenty of boos from the San Diego crowd in the process. Although he played a big part in one of the best seasons in Padres history, fans aren’t fond of him anymore.
After entering the game with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Hader allowed the Padres to tie the game on a wild pitch, immediately allowing his inherited runner to score on his first offering. He then sat down the next four batters he faced, striking out two of them. The Astros played some small ball to get the ghost runner home in the top of the 10th inning and Hector Neris closed it out.
After the game, Hader expressed love for San Diego but admitted that he loves hearing the boos.
“I love this ballpark. I love pitching here,” the Astros closer said. “Obviously, I love the boos. Living rent-free is always a good time.”
Josh Hader sounds off on getting booed by Padres fans
During his days with the Padres, Hader was reluctant to enter situations where he would be asked to get more than three outs. He stressed the importance of maintaining health over a long season but was often unavailable for some spots where the Padres really could have used him due to injuries to teammates.
Now that he has a $95 million deal as insurance for a potential injury he could suffer in a longer appearance, Hader is more comfortable pitching more than a full inning. It may also be helpful that the Astros have been one of the most successful teams in MLB in recent memory, though the Padres do have a better record than them right now. Houston is closing in on its seventh AL West title in eight years, which makes their playoff spot more secure.
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