Houston Astros faced a sparse crowd and boos during their wild-card opener, falling 6-3 to the Chicago White Sox at Daikin Park. With an announced attendance of 34,011 in a 40,963-seat park, large sections sat empty, especially in the upper deck. The Astros, baseball's first division winner with a .500 or worse record, were booed by fans in the first and second innings as they fell behind 3-0.

"It's extremely frustrating as a home player," said first baseman Christian Walker. "We're here, playing at home; we need cheers. We need energy. We don't need boos."

Reliever Bennett Sousa, who was also booed in the seventh inning, noted that Astros fans are accustomed to success, having reached the ALCS seven straight times from 2017-23. "The fans here are definitely spoiled with a lot of ALCS and World Series runs," Sousa told The Athletic.

The Astros returned to the playoffs after missing last year despite finishing 81-81, marking the first time a team made the postseason without a winning record in a non-shortened season. They averaged 30,519 fans per game during the regular season, ranking 14th in the majors.