VIDEO: San Francisco Crowd Lets Josh Hader Have It
By Kyle Koster
Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Josh Hader made his first road appearance since the All-Star Game tweet scandal. The San Francisco crowd was not nearly as forgiving or supportive as the home fans who gave Hader a standing ovation in Wisconsin.
Boos rained down as he strode to the mound.
Chorus of boos for Josh Hader here in San Francisco.
— Sam Hustis (@SamHustis) July 27, 2018
It's Hader's first road game since his racist and homophobic tweets surfaced. pic.twitter.com/3m0oqKgyPp
AT&T Park boos Josh Hader on his way to the mound. pic.twitter.com/Y9l7T5Cu8J
— SF Giants on NBCS (@NBCSGiants) July 27, 2018
This was to be expected. In San Francisco, St. Louis or San Diego. Hader is the enemy, the other, when he’s on the road. At home, he’s one of the gang. We can try to ascribe deeper and more troubling meaning to the ovation if we want, but the simple us versus them is at the core of it.
Now, if Hader gets widespread cheers on the road, then we have a story.
For now, though, Brewers fans quickly moved on. Opposing crowds haven’t, and won’t. They’ll have long memories and boo Hader for a long time. That’ll be the new normal.