Astros manager A.J. Hinch calls hotel altercation report 'nonsense'

HOUSTON -- Astros manager A.J. Hinch denied a published report that he was involved in a heated altercation at the team hotel after Game 1 of the World Series in Los Angeles earlier this week, calling the story "some nonsense'' and "ridiculous.''

According to the website TMZ.com, Hinch was sitting in the bar at the team's Pasadena hotel following Houston's 3-1 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night when some hotel guests arrived on the premises and began "talking trash'' about the Astros.

TMZ, citing unnamed sources, said Hinch "snapped'' and began yelling and cursing in the middle of the bar. TMZ cited a witness who said the confrontation turned physical and that police were summoned to address the situation.

Hinch denied the content of the report when meeting with reporters during an off day at Minute Maid Park on Thursday. The Dodgers and Astros, tied at 1-1, will resume the World Series on Friday with Game 3 in Houston.

"First off, there was no altercation,'' Hinch said. "And it's a shame I get asked about some nonsense, some fabrications and some non-stories and I have to respond to it on a national stage. But to reiterate, there was no altercation. That's as far as I'm going to go. It's ridiculous.''

When pressed on the details of the TMZ report, Hinch replied, "Fabrications really suck. And I'm not going to address any of it.''

A baseball source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the fans at the bar cursed and were disrespectful to women in the Astros' traveling party. The unruly patrons were asked to leave the bar, the source said, and Astros security people called the police after the fans made threats on their way out the door.

TMZ said no arrests were made and that police did not file a report of the incident.