Astros' Martin Maldonado believes the bench-clearing incident was the turning point of game vs Mariners: "We took advantage of it as a team"
Houston Astros rebounded from a second-game loss to take the series decider against the Seattle Mariners to edge ahead in the playoff race. The Astros won 8-3 on the road in a heated game that saw a bench-clearing showdown.
The incident happened in the bottom of the sixth with Astros reliever Hector Neris pitching to Julio Rodriguez. Neris struck out his fellow Dominican compatriot and proceeded to have an 'in-the-face' celebration. The Astros pitcher shouted and screamed as he walked up to Rodriguez as he was leaving the plate.
This didn't amuse the 22-year-old Mariners batter, who walked up to his countrymen questioning his motives. There was some heated verbal exchange between the pair who were restrained by the officials and on-field players. Benches and bullpens cleared as the umpires needed a few minutes to restore order.
The Astros were leading 4-3 at this point and consolidated their lead afterward. Catcher Martin Maldonado told reporters after the game that the incident charged up his teammates for the rest of the match:
"It did a little bit-yeah. ... I think we took advantage of it as a team. ... I got caught off guard, I didn't know what happened. ... It was just an emotional game."
Also read: MLB playoffs race hits tipping point as benches clear during Astros vs Mariners game following Julio Rodriguez and Hector Neris' war of words
Astros' Hector Neris clears the air about any bad blood with Julio Rodriguez
After the game, Hector Neris made it evident that he and Rodriguez were friends off the field and that the incident during the game was an 'on-field event.' Rodriguez, speaking through his team spokesman Adam Gresch, said he was visibly confused at Neris' reaction.
Rodriguez personally went 0-9 in the series and the Mariners went 1-13 with runners in the game. Tempers were bound to flare as a result. The game too was an important encounter between two division rivals vying for the AL Wild Card spots. The Astros are 1.5 games ahead with three games left to play.