SAN DIEGO — Moments after Jose Altuve was ejected for taking off his left cleat and sock to attempt to show a degree, his substitute, Grae Kessinger, scored the go-ahead run within the tenth inning after which made a sensational play at second base to seal the Houston Astros’ wild 4-3 win towards the San Diego Padres on Tuesday evening.
Altuve grounded out to 3rd for the ultimate out of the ninth however insisted he had fouled the ball off his foot. In a loopy scene, he took off his cleat and sock, making an attempt to point out the umpires the place the ball hit, which acquired him ejected by plate umpire Brennan Miller. Supervisor Joe Espada was tossed after persevering with to argue.
“Generally you get hit someplace within the hand and you’re taking your batting glove [off] to point out you bought hit. I used to be anticipating to do the identical factor,” Altuve stated.
“It was going by means of my head that it may well’t occur,” he added. “It is the ninth inning, profitable run on second base, I am battling towards a very good pitcher, [Robert] Suarez, the nearer, so I am clearly making an attempt to get a success and drive the run in and win the sport. I get a foul ball as a result of it hit my foot and so they simply took it away from me. I do not suppose that may occur. There are 4 guys on the sphere and you may see the change of path on the ball. Simply make the fitting name.”
Espada was nonetheless wound up afterward.
“It is a foul ball,” the supervisor stated. “It’s important to see the ball as soon as he hits the foot, the flight of the ball. I do not get it. I do not perceive. That is twice this 12 months. I’ve plenty of respect for the umpires. They work laborious. However there are 4 on the market. You will have to have the ability to see it. They missed that decision.”
It was Altuve’s third profession ejection, together with common season and playoffs, and second this season (June 30 vs. Mets). His first profession ejection was Aug. 6, 2016, which got here towards the Rangers.
Kessinger began the tenth as the automated runner rather than Altuve, superior on Yordan Alvarez’s groundout and scored on Kyle Tucker’s single to left off Adrian Morejon (2-2).
Astros reliever Hector Neris loaded the bases with two outs within the tenth earlier than getting Manny Machado to floor right into a drive play on a terrific backhanded cease by Kessinger, who flipped the ball to shortstop Jeremy Pena to finish it.
It was Kessinger’s first sport with the Astros since July 13.
“Proper earlier than he hit it, I used to be pondering he’ll hit a ball up the center and it’ll hit off the mound, and that is precisely what occurred. However go catch it. That is the job,” Kessinger stated.
He figured he was going to get into the sport after Altuve was tossed.
“It is a foul ball. It’s important to see the ball as soon as he hits the foot, the flight of the ball. I do not get it. I do not perceive. That is twice this 12 months. I’ve plenty of respect for the umpires. They work laborious. However there are 4 on the market. You will have to have the ability to see it. They missed that decision.”
Astros supervisor Joe Espada
“As he began to untie his shoe, I began to seize my glove. I did not know if I used to be the one which was going to be entering into, however I did not know what he was doing, however I used to be simply preparing,” Kessinger stated.
The Padres twice rallied to tie the rating, first at 2-2 on Machado’s twenty seventh homer with one out within the sixth — Machado admired his 405-foot homer for a number of seconds, tossed his bat apart and gestured towards the Padres’ dugout as he started his trot — and at 3-3 within the eighth when Fernando Tatis Jr. scored on Josh Hader’s two-out wild pitch.
Hader got here on to boos and was known as for a pitch clock violation. However after a prolonged delay, it was introduced there was no violation. Hader then threw a wild pitch that introduced in Tatis.
Hader was with the Padres from the 2022 commerce deadline by means of final 12 months earlier than leaving as a free agent. He drew the ire of San Diego followers when he stated late final season he was reluctant to get greater than three outs.
The Padres failed so as to add to their wild-card lead over Arizona and remained 3½ video games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers within the NL West.
ESPN Analysis and The Related Press contributed to this report.