24 hours before the White Sox completed the Wild Card sweep of the Houston Astros to advance to the ALDS, the writing was on the wall. While the White Sox and ace Sean Burke were all business, the Astros players were too busy beefing with their own fans. After the White Sox got off to a hot start in Game 1 and an Astros error led to early runs, Houston’s fans let them hear it. A far-from-sold-out crowd greeted the Astros with a smattering of boos.
Several Astros players expressed their disappointment with the home crowd after the game including former White Sox reliever Bennett Sousa.
“The fans here are definitely spoiled with a lot of ALCS and World Series runs, and we have to earn that right to bring this team back to that position,” Sousa said to reporters. “That being said, when this team was in their first series 10 years ago, Minute Maid Park was probably packed. It makes a big difference. If we were in Chicago, it’d probably be loud as s—”
Houston's hostile crowd certainly didn't hurt the White Sox this week
Astros fans, of course, didn’t take too kindly to being called spoiled, and Sousa apologized for his comments prior to Wednesday’s game. The damage was already done, however, and the boos came out in droves again Wednesday as Astros ace Hunter Brown failed to make it out of the first inning and surrendered four early runs to the White Sox. Perhaps Sousa would’ve had more fun if he were still a member of the White Sox.
Bennett Sousa was still repping the sox on hinge when he was playing for the Nashville Sounds. He definitely misses the south side https://t.co/To9X0JGAhq pic.twitter.com/pDcaFVT8o4
— laura (@laoraa_11) September 30, 2026
The White Sox drafted Sousa, 31, in the 10th round of the 2018 MLB Draft. As a senior coming out of Virginia, he was on the older side when beginning his pro career. He made his big league debut in 2022, appearing in 25 games for the White Sox but struggling to an 8.41 ERA. That would be his only season in Chicago, and he split the 2023 season between Milwaukee and Houston. Sousa didn’t appear in a big league game in 2024, but had a substantial role with the Astros in 2025 and produced a 2.84 ERA in 50.2 innings. That impressive mark ballooned to 6.00 in 35 appearances this season, and he allowed a run in his lone inning in Game 1 on Tuesday.
In recent years, the White Sox have gotten used to being the team surrounded by controversy, so it’s refreshing to be on the other end of the spectrum this time. Whether the fans directly affected the Astros performance on the field this week is hard to quantify, but watching the raucous crowd in San Diego as the Padres dismantled the Cubs this week certainly provides evidence that it does matter.
The White Sox have successfully brought playoff baseball back to Rate Field, with the Guardians and White Sox set to play in Chicago on Wednesday for Game 3, and Thursday for Game 4 if necessary. There’s no doubt in my mind that the fans will show up regardless of game time, and they’ll show their support for the most exciting White Sox team in years. White Sox fans are the best in the business and booing our own team in the second inning of a playoff game could never be us.
Add us as a preferred source on Google