Call him Mound Mack – just for one night, anyway.
A change.org petition to have Houston furniture magnate Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale throw out the first pitch for Saturday’s World Series Game 6 has well over 90,000 signatures as of Friday morning.
McIngvale, owner of Gallery Furniture and a notorious big money bettor, is one Astros win away from turning a $10 million wager into a $75 million windfall.
A big supporter of local teams – he runs massive promotions based on their championship pursuits – it seems he has plenty of his own fans.
“After the love that Mattress Mack has given this wonderful city over the years, and now he is full out representing H-town in Philly, we need him to throw out the first pitch of Game 6 to bring the positivity and energy back home,” the petition reads.
McIngvale has been a staple at games between the Astros and Phillies, including taking in three games at Citizens Bank Park that got a little testy for the 71-year-old. After Game 3 in Philadelphia, he was caught on yelling profanities at at Phillies fans.
“We were walking out and some drunk old man said to pull the jerseys off all the Astros and show their buzzers,” he told the Houston Chronicle. “And then he said, ‘Jose Altuve will never make the Hall of Fame because he is the biggest cheater ever,’ and that’s when I lost it.
“My blood pressure got a little high but that’s alright, I lived through it. I will always take up the Houston Astros.”
It’s unclear if the Astros are aware of the petition circulating or if they’re even considering having him throw out the first pitch on Saturday, but McIngvale may get the chance to take up the team in a very meaningful way.
