Astros fans troll Mike Fiers with rat on block of cheese
Houston Astros fans haven’t forgotten about Mike Fiers.
Even though the A’s right-hander has been limited to two starts this season and hasn’t thrown a pitch since May 6 due to elbow issues, he is still public enemy No. 1 for Houston. Fiers, of course, shed light on the 2017 Astros cheating scandal in The Athletic’s bombshell report in November 2019.
While some call him a whistleblower, some Astros fans like to call him a rat — hence the modified Green Bay Packers cheesehead, replete with Fiers’ photo and a faux rodent.
Astros fans got a wheel of cheese for Mike Fiers 🧀🐀 pic.twitter.com/JPcMwGgYEu
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) July 8, 2021
The cheese block stayed out in left field along with A’s outfielder Skye Bolt for a couple pitches in the eighth inning of Wednesday’s brutal 4-3 loss before bullpen catcher Phil Pohl trotted out to retrieve it.
A’s bullpen catcher Phil Pohl had to go retrieve the Mike Fiers cheese thing from left field pic.twitter.com/8TWNyrKKe6
— The Rickey Henderson of Blogs (@RickeyBlog) July 8, 2021
Baseball is weird. Fans are back. Baseball fans are weird and back.
The Twitter handle @HtownWheelhouse said he met a fan named “Chris” who made and modeled the cheesehead. On the sides it says stuff like, “Where have you been lately?,” “Come out and play ball!”
I met Chris walking around Minute Maid. He’s doing the Lords work. Tryin to lure the rat with cheese. #astros #fortheH pic.twitter.com/YTw3bU7b4L
— Htown Wheelhouse (@HtownWheelhouse) July 7, 2021
I honestly appreciate the creativity from Astros fans but dunno how it ended up on the field in the middle of the game. Then again, trash cans (inflatable and real) have ended up on the field of play during an Astros game in Anaheim this season.
Astros fans have been pissed at Fiers and been waiting for a chance to heckle him, though he’s yet to pitch against Houston since the start of 2020, whether due to rotation timing or injuries. Fiers isn’t expected to resume throwing again until late July or early August, so he could re-appear in this rivalry during the September push or in the playoffs.
Don’t expect this animosity to fade until Fiers retires.
