UPDATE: Minutes after this story originally published, the Houston Astros announced that McIngvale will throw out the first pitch on Game 6 of the World Series.

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Ever since Jim "Mattress Mack" McIngvale blasted a smack-talking Philadelphia Phillies fan with a profanity-littered comeback on Tuesday, November 1 after Game 3 of the World Series, fans across Houston have rallied to his defense if his beloved Houston Astros.

That zealous support has sparked a petition on popular social justice platform Change.org. User Dean Lankford created the call to action, titled "Have Mattress Mack throw out the first pitch at Game 6 World Series," on Thursday, November 3. Since then, more than 102,000 have signed, with a goal of 150,000.

"Send this to everyone, and maybe the people that can make it happen will make it happen," Lankford writes. "With how divided we can be at times...this is a great way to come together and realize that we have so much more in common!"

Representatives for the Astros, when contacted, remind us that the decision involves more than just the team and includes input from Major League Baseball.

All this stems from a heated moment after World Series Game 3, where the Phillies trounced the Astros 7-0. As he told CultureMap, a drunk fan accosted McIngvale with "cheater" taunts. But it wasn't until the fan name checked José Altuve that Mack erupted.

“Then it was, ‘José Altuve will never make the Hall of Fame — he’s the biggest f*cking cheater ever.' I had enough of him,” Mack told us.

The city responded with a surge of support, offers to provide free security, and a host of "Gangsta Mack" memes, including a popular one that references his Gallery Furniture location.

This Gangsta Mack meme is everything. Know Your Meme

We couldn't reach Mack by phone as of publication time, but the benefactor/marketing guru/gangsta offered a sincere thank you to fans for their support — and even to the City of Brotherly Love for his time there.

Will he toss the ceremonial first Game 6 pitch on Saturday, November 5 at Minute Maid Park? We'll see, but clearly, Mack has earned some mad street cred. Here's hoping for a collab between Mack and our rap icon Bun B.

This headline has been adjusted to reflect breaking news.