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Washington Nationals defeat Houston Astros, kid plays game on phone instead

It’s one of the biggest sports series in the world, but an image of a young fan sitting in the best seats has divided the baseball world.

2 min read
October 24, 2019 - 5:35AM
Juan Soto helped the Washington Nationals claim the opening win on the road.
Juan Soto helped the Washington Nationals claim the opening win on the road.

Sports fans across the globe have a bucket list of sporting events they’d give up a lot to be able to attend.

For some it may be heading to the MCG on Grand Final day, others a trip over to Lords for an Ashes Test while others would love to sit courtside alongside the celebrities at an NBA game.

No matter what’s on someone’s list, everyone has dreamt how it would feel to be able to tick them off and the euphoria that would come along with doing so.

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On Wednesday the baseball World Series got underway, another event that would feature on many fans’ bucket lists.

But for one fan who was in attendance, he didn’t seem all that interested in the game. And that was despite him having hands down the best seat in the house.

Action Network’s Darren Rovell shared a snap of the Houston Astros fan sitting in the first row behind the dug out, playing a game on his phone while the action is unfolding.

The game he was playing was discovered to be Clash Royale with the game’s official Twitter account getting on board the image. “When Clash Royale is life,” it tweeted.

Even the game designer came to the defence of the kid when he tweeted “Why not? There’s 3 minutes between pitches, the kid has time”.

Fans were split on the image with a vast majority left infuriated by the picture of the kid, who’s own team was playing. While others have defended him and levelled their anger at Rovell for shaming the kid.

Of course the best response came from the game makers themselves.

Juan Soto and the Washington Nationals quickly derailed the Cole Express.

A 20-year-old prodigy with a passion for the big moment, Soto homered onto the train tracks high above the left field wall and hit a two-run double as the Nationals tagged Gerrit Cole and the Houston Astros 5-4 in the World Series opener.

“After the first at-bat, I just said, ‘It’s another baseball game,”’ Soto said. “In the first at-bat, I’m not going to lie, I was a little bit shaking in my legs.”

Not even a history-making home run by postseason star George Springer — and another shot that nearly tied it in the eighth inning — could deter Washington.

Ryan Zimmerman, still full of sock at 35, also homered to back a resourceful Max Scherzer and boost the wildcard Nationals in their first World Series appearance — tres bien for a franchise that began as the Montreal Expos in 1969.

“They waited a long time,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez said. Otherworldly almost all season, Cole looked downright ordinary.

Trea Turner singled on the second pitch of the game and the Nationals were off and running, ending Cole’s 19-game winning streak that stretched back 25 starts to May. “I didn’t have my A-game tonight,” Cole said.

Game 2 is Thursday, when the Astros will lean on Justin Verlander to help them get even against the Nationals’ Stephen Strasburg.

— with AP

Originally published as Washington Nationals defeat Houston Astros, kid plays game on phone instead

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Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/us-sports/mlb/washington-nationals-defeat-houston-astros-kid-plays-game-on-phone-instead/news-story/8d7f4e41348cfc7883c212658868318a