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One of the Houston Astros’ biggest fans was involved in a confrontation at the Philadelphia Phillies’ ballpark that was captured on a widely circulated video, Houston-based media outlets reported.
Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale, the famed proprietor behind Gallery Furniture, was purportedly on his way out of Citizens Bank Park following Game 3 of the World Series on Tuesday when a Phillies fan taunted him.
The video showed the 71-year-old McIngvale barking back expletives at the unseen heckler in question while being restrained.
According to Houston NBC affiliate KPRC, the businessman’s representatives issued a statement explaining the entire situation.
“A Phillies fan was heckling Mack the whole game and followed him out to the concourse at the end of the game,” the statement said. “The fan continued to shout negative comments about the Astros … Mack had enough of the negative comments and responded to the heckler.”
The Phillies defeated the Astros 7-0 to take what was then a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven championship round.
McIngvale told Houston CBS affiliate KHOU that his opinion of Philadelphia sports fans is pretty low.
"I was told they are the worst fans ever,” he said, according to KHOU. “I expected the best and I got the worst.”
The station reported that the allegedly intoxicated fan’s comments about second baseman and face of the franchise Jose Altuve were what caused McIngvale, who’s often seen at games in an orange jersey, to verbally push back.
For all that he went through in Pennsylvania’s largest city, the beloved Astros superfan went on to watch his team seize control of the Fall Classic lead for the first time.
The Astros won Games 4 and 5 to shift the competition back to Houston, where the franchise will attempt to become the first in nearly a decade to hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy on its own turf on Saturday.
An Astros World Series triumph would also literally pay off for McIngvale, who placed $75 million on his hometown squad to win it all.