This game had EVERYTHING ... but a win for Friars
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SAN DIEGO -- The Padres and Astros staged an instant classic on Tuesday night at Petco Park -- the type of wild game that made you wonder if these two teams might stage a few more games like this one come the end of next month.
In a game that featured just about everything -- including a shoeless Jose Altuve, a mercilessly booed Josh Hader and multiple crucial run-scoring wild pitches -- the Astros held on for a bonkers 4-3 victory.
Houston grabbed the lead in the top of the 10th inning on Kyle Tucker’s RBI single. That came after Altuve had grounded out to end the bottom of the ninth on a ball that appeared to hit his shoe. When plate ump Brennan Miller ruled that it hadn’t, Altuve removed his sock and his shoe to show Miller where the ball had struck him. He was promptly ejected.
Meanwhile, Hader had already emerged to attempt his first four-out save at Petco Park -- despite the fact he had spent a season and a half with the Padres. Ahead of his free agency last winter, Hader opted not to pitch multiple innings last season. That stance meant he was met with vociferous boos upon his emergence from the visitors' bullpen.
Hader’s first pitch -- after a lengthy delay to determine whether he’d committed a pitch-timer violation -- was in the dirt. It got past Astros catcher Yainer Diaz, and Fernando Tatis Jr. scampered home, tying the game at 3-3. The Astros had scored the go-ahead run in the top of the inning on a wild pitch from Jason Adam.
A wild night indeed.
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And a night with serious postseason implications. The Padres missed out on a chance to move 2 1/2 games back of the Dodgers in the National League West race after L.A.’s loss in Miami. The Astros, meanwhile, grabbed a five-game lead on the Mariners in the American League West with 10 to play.
Since the All-Star break, the Astros have the best record in the American League. The Padres have the best record in baseball. Both appear bound for October. And if Tuesday night was any indication, they would stage quite a Fall Classic.