The Houston Astros had two runs taken off the board during the first inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday.
With one on and one out, Astros designated hitter Jose Altuve smoked a ball that looked like it would tie the game at two. Mookie Betts raced back and jumped to rob the homer, but his glove collided with a fan, causing chaos to break out at Minute Maid Park.
Crew Chief Joe West initially signaled fan interference and after video review, the call was upheld because there wasn’t enough evidence to determine if Betts was in the stands when the fan hit his glove.
Astros manager A.J. Hinch understandably was upset, seeing that his team is facing a 2-1 series deficit and was down 2-0 early in the game. He was asked about West’s explanation during his mid-game interview, and he was less than pleased.
“He just said that there was fan interference on the field,” Hinch said, as seen on TBS. “My argument was more about the fact that the ball was leaving the yard, the trajectory was there. Jose paid kind of the ultimate price for something that’s out of his control. I’m not sure if Mookie makes that catch. He’s a great athlete, but how it’s an assumed out is unbelievable.”
Hinch makes a good point. Had Betts made the catch it would have been one of the best plays in recent memory, but it’s impossible to assume he would have made the play.
