Chris Archer took his feud with the Astros mascot to the next level

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer

Tampa Bay Rays ace Chris Archer has a problem with the Houston Astros. Well, not the team on the field. He’s done well against them, posting a 1.68 ERA over seven starts. No, we’re talking about the club’s mascot Orbit.

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On Monday, Archer decided to take their feud to the next level, making sure Orbit received a “Declaration of Unfriendliness” from the pitcher.

It read:

A state of discord has existed between Chris Archer of the Tampa Bay Rays and Orbit of the Houston Astros.

Whereas general mischief and rascality have been among Orbit’s repeated trespasses, Chris Archer is hereby resolved to carry on a campaign of pranks, gags and high jinks in retaliation, which include, but are not limited to, use of objects such as:

Water balloons
Whipped pies
Silly string
Small motorized vehicles
Bubblegum
Hand-crafted signage

And any of the considerable resources of a Major League clubhouse.

This resolution is authorized: Chris Archer

As Archer noted in his tweet, Orbit crumpled up that declaration after reading it.

The feud has now gone beyond just Archer and Orbit, though. In fact, Archer has the full support of the Rays.

Seems pretty extreme, right? You have to wonder what propelled Archer to take this step. Well, the feud appears to have started in 2015 after Orbit suggested Archer and Jaden Smith were related.

It’s a solid jab by Orbit. We should also note that Archer didn’t seem too upset about that prank, as he did sign the poster board.

Chris Archer is ready to take on Astros mascot Orbit. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
Chris Archer is ready to take on Astros mascot Orbit. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)

So, yes, the whole thing is all in good fun. But even though that’s the case, Orbit doesn’t seem to be taking any chances:

Archer is slated to start Tuesday, so we expect any retaliation from either side will have to wait. That might give Orbit more time to plot his counterattack, but Archer can keep the upper hand by going out and dominating Houston again.

Winning the feud against Orbit is nice and all, but getting the job done on the field is probably a little more important.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik