Yankees fans are already ruthlessly heckling Jose Altuve during batting practice

It’s time. The Houston Astros are in the Bronx and will do battle with the New York Yankees for the first time since the 2019 ALCS.

This three-game set will be the most hostile series we’ve seen in … over 550 days? Did we get that right? It’s somewhere around there.

Even though only a little over 10,000 fans will be allowed at Yankee Stadium due to New York’s COVID restrictions, you can bet every single one of them will bring it.

In fact, we don’t even have to bet on it anymore. It’s already happening.

Astros slugger Jose Altuve stepped into the box to take some batting practice, and the fans let him hear it.

He might be the most hated Astro among Yankees’ supporters given his ridiculous success against the Bombers in the 2017 and 2019 ALCS. The sign-stealing/buzzer rumors didn’t help, either.

Yankees fans wasted no time sticking it to Jose Altuve.

And there’s more!

Don’t tell Yankees fans that this isn’t the same “cheating” Astros squad from 2017. They don’t care. George Springer and Josh Reddick (ha!) might be gone. Justin Verlander might be injured. Charlie Morton, Dallas Keuchel and Collin McHugh may not be around, either.

But this team’s DNA is contaminated with guys like Altuve, Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel and Alex Bregman — all of whom have been insufferable characters ever since the Astros won the World Series in 2017.

You remember Correa essentially calling out every MLB fan last year. And Gurriel’s racist taunt directed at Yu Darvish in that Fall Classic. And Bregman reading his “apology” from a piece of scrap paper with a smirk on his face last offseason when he finally faced the media about the scandal.

General manager Jeff Luhnow, slimy assistant GM Brandon Taubman, manager AJ Hinch, and bench coach Alex Cora are no longer running the show, but it doesn’t matter. The Yankees (and their fans) have unfinished business to take care of, and it’ll be handled regardless of who’s standing in their way.

And it all starts with Domingo German vs. Zack Greinke on Tuesday night. Enjoy your three-day stay in New York, Altuve. We hope it feels like a miserable three months.

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