HOUSTON – A fight between fans broke out Wednesday during an Astros game at Minute Maid Park, according to videos posted on social media.
The incident occurred around 9 p.m. while the Astros took on the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“There were some Astros fans, two guys in particular, that kept hassling. They were chiming back and forth with the Dodger guy,” said Cindy Lehenbaur who was sitting in Section 107 where the fight happened.
According to Lehenbaur, it was an Astros fan who threw the first punch.
“One thing led to another and one of the Astros guys came by and punched him and he had his wife, I think she was pregnant and their baby, and he just went crazy,” she said.
In videos, a man and woman wearing Dodgers jerseys were fighting two men, one of whom appeared to be wearing an Astros shirt.
“Don’t always believe videos like they appear because this one was deceiving in the sense of who was at fault in this. I saw a daddy trying to protect his family. That’s what I saw,” said Lehenbauer.
Helen Ramirez, who was also sitting nearby, also confirmed that an Astros fan was the first to get physical. She said other people sitting nearby got the little girl out of the way.
“One of the ladies that was sitting a few seats from my left side ended up grabbing her to get her out of the way,” said Ramirez.
One video from the aftermath showed at least one person was injured and bleeding.
Several people attempted to de-escalate the incident before security arrived and escorted them out of the area.
“I’m all for giving someone a hard time at a game, but not punching them that’s ridiculous,” said Lehenbauer.
KPRC 2 learned from Houston police that three people involved in the melee were not arrested, but issued citations for fighting in a public place. They were also banned from Minute Maid Park for one year.
The tensions between Astros and Dodgers fans remain high since the Astros sign-stealing scheme during the 2017 World Series.
Y’all this was my first baseball fight! @barstoolsports pic.twitter.com/jZqUCw2E9Q
— 𝒽𝑒𝓁𝑒𝓃 ♥ 🦋 (@Helennnnaaaa_) May 27, 2021
The Astros released a statement Thursday night in response to the fight:
The Astros maintain a strong fan code of conduct that does not allow for vulgar, threatening, abusive or offensive behavior of any kind. We always strive to maintain a family-friendly environment and have been enforcing our standard of conduct and will continue to do so. Safety for our fans and employees is a priority - we do not condone any behavior that impacts the fan experience. We are grateful to our security team and our law enforcement partners for their swift response in defusing the situation. The fan experience at Minute Maid Park is among the best in all of baseball. We will strive to ensure that it remains that way for our great fans.