Astros manager A.J. Hinch denies hotel bar altercation with Dodgers fans
HOUSTON — Astros manager A.J. Hinch denied a TMZ report that he was involved in an “altercation” at a Pasadena hotel bar with Los Angeles Dodgers fans after Game 1 of the World Series in L.A.
“There was no confrontation,” Hinch said plainly and definitively Thursday to open his daily World Series press conference, part of the off-day workouts at Minute Maid Park where the series will resume Friday.
Hinch called the story “nonsense” and a “fabrication” and expressed his disappointment that this was even a topic of discussion after his team’s thrilling Game 2 win Wednesday night in L.A.
“It’s a shame I get asked about some nonsense, some fabrications and non-stories,” Hinch said. “And I have to respond to it on a national stage. To reiterate, there was no altercation and that’s as far as I’m going to go. It’s ridiculous.”
In a follow-up question from Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times, Hinch was asked if some of the details of the TMZ story — that was he cursing and yelling in the middle of the bar — are not true.
“Like I said, fabrications really suck and I’m not going to address any of them,” Hinch said.
TMZ Sports’ story, published Thursday afternoon, recounted the events of Tuesday night as such:
Hinch was hanging out at the bar at the team hotel in Pasadena on Tuesday night after Houston lost Game 1 to the Dodgers. We’re told he was having some drinks — when some hotel guests came in and started talking trash about the Astros.
Sources say Hinch “snapped” and unleashed on the other patrons — cursing and yelling in the middle of the bar. One witness tells us the incident turned physical and cops were called to separate the two parties. We spoke with Pasadena PD and we were told they responded to the hotel at 10:30 PM to help security “keep the peace” during an incident involving Houston Astros “team management.”
TMZ’s story also said no arrests were made and no reports were taken, which would indicate the situation couldn’t have been that serious.
Still, Hinch didn’t get into his side of the story. When another question was asked to Hinch, members of the Astros’ public-relations staff said, “next question.”
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
