WATCH: Houston Astros Pitcher Drills His Own Catcher Square in the Chest After Giving Up a Grand Slam
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Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez found himself at the center of internet outrage for drilling his own catcher after giving up a grand slam.
Valdez started in Tuesday’s game against the New York Yankees. The sequence of events — first pointed out on X/Twitter by former A’s announcer Dallas Braden — began when Valdez faced outfielder Trent Grisham with the bases loaded. Seconds before Valdez delivered a pitch, catcher Cesar Salazar attempted to wave him off the mound and disengage. Valdez ignored Salazar’s gesture and threw the pitch anyway. That pitch would end up resulting in a grand slam to put the Yankees ahead 6-0.
On the next batter, Valdez threw a high and away changeup to start the at-bat. The very next pitch, however, Valdez threw a sinker that appeared to cross up Salazar. Because of the confusion, Salazar misjudged where the ball would end up and took it square to his chest. Fortunately, his protective gear minimized the impact.
As Braden mentioned in the tweet, Valdez appeared to intentionally cross up his catcher to hit him in frustration over the grand slam. The body language of both men seemed to confirm that suspicion, with Valdez immediately turning his back after the pitch and Salazar staring at him in confusion.
Analysts and fans alike agreed with Braden’s assessment.
Following the game, Valdez and Salazar were reportedly brought into the manager’s office to discuss the incident. Valdez apologized to his teammate and insisted the move was not intentional.
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