Valdez denies intent after hitting Salazar: Astros vs Yankees

HOUSTON – Astros pitcher Framber Valdez apologized to catcher César Salazar after hitting him in the chest with a pitch on Tuesday night, but the lefty insisted it was unintentional. Valdez appeared to shake off Salazar on a 1-0 pitch with the bases loaded and the Yankees’ Trent Grisham at the plate in the fifth inning. Salazar then urged Valdez to come off the mound, but he proceeded with the pitch, which Grisham hit to left field to give New York a 6-0 lead in an eventual 7-1 victory. In the following pitch, Valdez hit Salazar in the chest with a 93 mph pitch, which raised questions about whether he was upset about what happened in Grisham’s at-bat and whether it was intentional. “What happened with us, we just crossed paths,” Valdez said in Spanish through an interpreter. “I asked for that pitch, I threw it and we crossed paths. We went to the dugout and I apologized to him and told him I was sorry and I take full responsibility for that.” A Valdez was asked directly if he did it on purpose.

“No, it wasn’t intentional”.

Framber Valdez

Valdez and Salazar were talking when the reporters entered the clubhouse after the game and Valdez said they had worked things out.

“We were able to talk about it,” he said. “We talked after the game… in his locker and everything is fine between us. These are things that happen in baseball. But yes, we talked about it and we’re good.”

Framber Valdez

Salazar was also asked about what happened at the launch where he was hit.

“The stadium was noisy,” he said. “I thought I pressed the button, but I pressed the wrong button. I was expecting another pitch, but it wasn’t”.

César Salazar

Salazar said that Valdez did not hit him on purpose. “No, Framber and I really have a very good relationship,” he said.