Nathan Eovaldi is not a big fan of the Astros originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
There is no love lost between Nathan Eovaldi and the Houston Astros heading into the American League Championship Series.
When the Astros and Boston Red Sox met in the 2018 ALCS, Eovaldi entered the series with extra motivation. Astros third baseman Alex Bregman trolled the Red Sox right-hander by posting videos of Houston hitting three home runs off him earlier in the season when he pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays.
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Eovaldi answered by tossing a gem in Game 3 of the series and eventually helping his team to a World Series title.
Three years later, the two teams are set to do battle in an ALCS rematch. Ahead of the best-of-seven series, Eovaldi made his feelings on the Astros organization known.
“Yeah, they have a tendency of rubbing guys the wrong way,” Eovaldi said on WEEI’s Greg Hill Show Wednesday morning. “I don’t necessarily hate any team, but they’re not high up on my list.
“It happens. I gave up three homers, back to back to back. We were able to come out on top in that series and hopefully we will be able to do it this time.”
Bregman’s taunts aren’t the only reason for Eovaldi’s grudge. The Houston native was interested in joining the Astros as a free agent in 2019, but his hometown team wasn’t interested. Both of those factors, on top of the infamous Astros sign-stealing scandal, led to Eovaldi’s candid comments.
Game 1 of the 2021 ALCS is scheduled for Friday at 8:07 p.m. ET in Houston.