Ted Cruz blamed for Astros ‘curse’ after fans begged him to skip game

Texas senator hit back at the criticism, strongly denying the so-called ‘curse’

Martha McHardy
Tuesday 24 October 2023 15:49 BST
Comments
Astros-Rangers rivalry Halloween decorations

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Ted Cruz has been blamed for “cursing” the Houston Astros after they lost to the Texas Rangers on Monday night and were eliminated from the MLB playoffs.

Astros fans had taken to social media to beg the Texas senator to stay well clear of the game due to his growing reputation of jinxing the team.

But, unfortunately, their pleas fell on deaf ears and Mr Cruz showed up at the game anyway.

Following the team’s 11-4 loss, angry fans took to social media to slam him for ignoring their pleas.

“This man does not care about his constituents,” one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

“The Astros losing and then Ted Cruz losing his senate seat because enough fans are convinced he cursed the team would be the funniest possible timeline,” another person said.

“This is worse than being the Zodiac Killer,” another person joked.

Fans also pointed out the Astros lost every playoff game Mr Cruz attended this season.

But Mr Cruz hit back at the criticism, strongly denying the existence of a curse.

“For 7 years, Catherine & I have attended nearly EVERY Astros home playoff game,” he wrote on X.

“If they’re going to blame me for our recent home losses, pls also credit us for TWO World Series Championships & SEVEN consecutive ALCS’s—we were there cheering Stros on!”

One of the championships the Texas senator was referring to was a 2017 win, which was later revealed to be the result of cheating.

Multiple players ultimately admitted to cheating and an extensive MLB investigation also later confirmed it.

But it seems unlikely the senator’s “curse” is to blame, given the team’s recent successes.

Earlier this year, the Astros won their sixth American League (AL) West title in seven years and went on to play in their seventh consecutive American League Championship Series (ALCS).

Ted Cruz has been accused of ‘cursing’ the Houston Astros
Ted Cruz has been accused of ‘cursing’ the Houston Astros (Getty Images)

The team also won the World Series in 2022.

It is not the first time Mr Cruz has been accused of bringing bad fortunes to a sports team.

In 2018, he was blamed for jinxing the Houston Rockets after the team was eliminated from the NBA playoffs during a game he attended.

One year later, fans blamed him for cursing Texas Tech with a poorly timed tweet.

“35 seconds. ONE point LEAD. GO RED RAIDERS!!! #1 Defense,” he tweeted – minutes before the team lost 85-77 to Virginia at the NCAA final.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in