HOUSTON – Astros starting 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 disagree with Salazar on a 1-0 pitch with the bases loaded and Trent Grisham of the Yankees at bat in the fifth inning. Salazar then urged Valdez to leave the mound, but he continued with the pitch, which Grisham sent to left field to give New York a 6-0 lead in an eventual 7-1 victory.
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 what happened in Grisham’s at-bat and whether it was intentional.
Valdez explained in Spanish through an interpreter that there was confusion in the signals. “I asked for that pitch, I threw it and we got confused. We went to the dugout and I apologized to him and told him I was sorry and I take full responsibility for that,” he stated. When asked directly if he did it on purpose, Valdez responded with a resounding “No”. Valdez and Salazar spoke when reporters entered the clubhouse after the game, and Valdez assured that they had resolved things. “We were able to talk about it. 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 and we’re fine,” he added.No, it wasn’t intentional.
Framber Valdez
Salazar affirmed that Valdez did not hit him on purpose. “No, Framber and I have a very good relationship,” he concluded.The stadium was noisy. I thought I had pressed the button, but I pressed the wrong button. I was expecting another launch, but it wasn’t.
César Salazar
