close
close

Barefoot Jose Altuve inspires Astros in extra-inning win over Padres

SAN DIEGO — No one craves a defining moment more than Jose Altuve. Already an icon, he has been part of every defining moment of this golden era. Altuve won a championship in one fell swoop and pushed the Houston Astros to the brink of six more.

Composure is Altuve's trademark, even in situations that suggest otherwise. Making him angry is nearly impossible, but four referees found a way Tuesday night at Petco Park. A questionable call robbed Altuve of a chance to score a point in a tie between two postseason teams.

In response, Altuve added an indelible image to a career full of such images. The mild-mannered second baseman pulled the shoe and sock off his left foot, limped toward two umpires, and pointed to the spot where a baseball had struck him.

“I have a guy on second base. I want to win the game,” Altuve said. “I don't think there's a batter that doesn't want to be in that situation. We're always waiting for that situation and we're always ready for that situation to get that big hit. I love that situation. If you get a hit right there, we win the game. Just the fact that they took the hit away from me really pisses me off.”

Home plate umpire Brennan Miller ejected Altuve after he began running barefoot, capping two days of frustration. Houston didn't need motivation, but Altuve provided it anyway during their 4-3 overtime victory.

“He wants to win. Jose Altuve is a player. He wants to win and he's trying to prove something,” manager Joe Espada said. “That's how he reacted. I respect that from Jose because he wants to win, he's a winner. I take it. I understand it. If it were me, I'd probably take my shoes off to prove something too.”

At bat in the ninth inning with two outs and the game-tying run in scoring position, Altuve appeared to foul Robert Suarez's 100.3 mph sinker with his left foot. He did not leave the batter's box after the contact, but home plate umpire Miller never called the ball a foul. The play is also unreviewable.

Altuve's grounder rolled to third baseman Manny Machado, who completed the putout without Altuve even walking down the line once.

“It came across pretty well, pretty accurate. Sometimes when you hit the ball with the tail or with your foot, it has a kind of spin to it and loses a little bit of intensity,” Machado said. “I couldn't tell. I thought it wasn't. But I mean, he's not going to lie.”

Altuve raised his arms in disgust as Espada and coach Omar López tried to intervene and perhaps save Altuve from being sent off. As they did so, Altuve took off his left cleat, ripped off his sock and limped toward the referees. Miller said nothing to Altuve before sending him off, Altuve said.

“That can't happen. It's the ninth inning. Game-winning run on second base. I'm battling a good pitcher – Suarez, the closer – so of course I'm trying to get a hit, get the run in and win the game,” Altuve said.

“I get a foul ball because it hit my foot and they just took it away from me. I don't think something like that can happen. There are four guys on the field. You have to see the change in direction of the ball and just make the right decision.”

Altuve was ejected for pointing at his toes for the second time this season. The first ejection came on June 30 in a nearly identical scenario – a missed foul ball off Altuve's front foot. Altuve kept his shoes on during that altercation, but he nailed his batting helmet and showed more emotion than he usually exudes.

“It's the second time something like this has happened in a key spot with one of our best hitters in the lineup in a situation like this,” said closer Josh Hader. “It's a call you can't miss.”

The four-man referee team consisting of Miller, Brian O'Nora, Shane Livensparger and crew chief Chris Conroy botched the first two games of the series.

O'Nora ejected Houston hitting coach Alex Cintrón during Monday's game after Cintrón complained about an inconsistent strike zone.

After two outs in the eighth inning of Tuesday's game, the team erroneously called Hader for a pitch timer violation after he stepped off the rubber mat while entering the game. Pitchers entering a game where no one is on base are not allowed to visit the mound or release the rubber mat. Hader entered the game when Fernando Tatis Jr. was on third base.

“I'm not sure if they knew or remembered that Tatis was there,” Hader said. “I'm not really sure what really happened. Maybe the game got faster.”

After the team conferred and reviewed the rules, Hader was not charged with a violation. His first pitch after a five-minute delay went past catcher Yainer Diaz.

The equalizing point was achieved.

“He sat on the mound for, what, four or five minutes? For a rules review? We should know the rules,” Espada said. “That's just my opinion. We should know the rules. I know the rules. I study the rules. We should know the rules. There shouldn't be a rules review on this.”

Altuve's chance to loosen his tie was lost, so he began to untie his shoe.

“When he started untying his shoe, I grabbed my glove,” said all-rounder Grae Kessinger. “I didn't know if I was the one going in. I didn't know what he was doing, but I was just getting ready.”

Kessinger hadn't played in a major league game since July 13. Houston had just recalled him from Triple-A Sugar Land last week. Kessinger had to step in on an emergency in Altuve's place, grabbing Machado's 103 mph ground ball and throwing it to shortstop Jeremy Peña, securing Houston's wildest win of the season.

“I'm proud of the guys in there,” Espada said. “That's resilience. That's a big win against a really good team and a lot happened in that game. They hung in there, got a lot of outs and big hits and played great defense at the end by Kessinger. That's what good teams do.”

(Photo: Orlando Ramirez / USA Today)

You may also like...