Any speculation that Astros left-hander Framber Valdez would intentionally hit his own catcher in the chest with a pitch is « preposterous, » the pitcher’s agent said.
The mere speculation that Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez would intentionally hit his own catcher in the chest with a pitch is « preposterous » and « a complete lack of respect for who he is as a person », the pitcher’s agent said Wednesday.
After Tuesday’s game, Valdez said he apologized to catcher Cesar Salazar after hitting him in the chest with a pitch, saying he got « crossed up. »
The pitcher appeared to shake off Salazar on a 1-0 pitch to the Yankees’ Trent Grisham at the plate with the bases loaded in the fifth inning. Salazar then urged Valdez to step off the mound, but he proceeded with the pitch, which Grisham launched to deep left field for a grand slam to give New York a 6-0 lead in an eventual 7-1 win.
On the second pitch to the next batter, Valdez hit Salazar in the chest with a 93 mph pitch, raising questions about whether he was upset about the Grisham at-bat and if it was intended.
