During a tense ninth inning of Tuesday's game against the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros' Jose Altuve sparked controversy after grounding out to third base. Altuve argued that the ball hit his foot, making it a foul. In an unusual move to prove his point, he took off his cleat and sock, which led to his immediate ejection by umpire Brennan Miller. Astros manager Joe Espada quickly came to Altuve's defense but was also tossed from the game.
"Sometimes you get hit somewhere in the hand and you take your batting glove to show you got hit. I was expecting to do the same thing," Altuve said in a statement obtained by KHOU. Despite the on-field drama and the reductions in personnel, the Astros managed a narrow victory in extras, finishing the fray with a 4-3 scoreline.
This marked Altuve's second ejection this season for a similar foul-foot squabble, recalling an earlier contentious moment against the New York Mets, as reported by Chron.com.
Despite the ejections, the Astros stayed strong and scored in the tenth inning with Kyle Tucker's RBI single, bringing home automatic runner Grae Kessinger for the win. Meanwhile, Astros reliever Héctor Neris faced a tough bases-loaded situation in the bottom of the tenth but successfully got Manny Machado out, ending the game. Kessinger, expecting to enter the game post-Altuve's equipment disrobing, told KHOU, “As he started to untie his shoe, I started to grab my glove. I didn’t know if I was the one that was going to be going in, but I didn’t know what he was doing, but I was just getting ready.”
The Astros continue their fight on the field, with eyes set on their upcoming game against the Padres to clinch the series. Joe Espada, still fired up from the fracas, told KHOU, “You have to see the ball once he hits the foot, the flight of the ball. I don’t get it. I don’t understand. That’s twice this year. I have a lot of respect for the umpires. They work hard. But there are four out there. You have to be able to see it. They missed that call.”
