MLB umpire to Houston Astros' Aledmys Diaz: "You f****n leaned right into it"
The Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies played out a thriller in Texas on Friday night. Game one of the 2022 World Series was packed with back-and-forth drama. After a hard-fought nine-inning battle, the game was tied at 5-5 and went into extra innings.
After J.T. Realmuto's home run gave the Phillies the advantage, the Astros were desperately looking for a response. That desperation led to a strange play by Astros pinch-hitter Aledmys Diaz. With two outs in the 10th inning, Houston was in survival mode. Diaz bizarrely leaned into a pitch that was barely off the strike zone.
“You fuckin leaned right into it”
Thank you to the spanish broadcast for giving us this umpire audio https://t.co/trxUPVrjTC
"You f****n leaned right into it," the umpire was heard saying.
The umpire's response was caught on the Spanish television broadcast. Late in the game, the umpires were having none of the Houston Astros' antics. It was a last-ditch effort from a team that could see game one slipping away.
Aledmys Diaz says he didn’t lean into the pitch when he was hit in the ninth and was shocked when the umpire made that ruling. https://t.co/k8CEVwVi8W
"Aledmys Diaz says he didn’t lean into the pitch when he was hit in the ninth and was shocked when the umpire made that ruling." - Mark Berman
Diaz insisted he was not leaning into the pitch and was shocked by the umpire's call. For most viewers, though, this was a clear case of a player trying to gain an unfair advantage in a high-pressure situation. The umpires made the right decision.
This was not a good look for the Houston Astros, who are still under the microscope after the recent sign-stealing cheating scandal. An unethical play like the one Aledmys Diaz tried to get away with doesn't help their image. It seems as if the Astros enjoy playing the role of the league's bad guys, and are leaning into it.
The Houston Astros lost a thriller 6-5
This was one of the greatest World Series opener. The Astros beat up on Aaron Nola early in the game and scored two and three runs in the second and third innings, respectively. The lead was short-lived with the Phillies rallying in the fourth and fifth to tie the game.
Pitching took over after the fifth inning with neither team able to put up a run. The Astros came close to breaking the tie in the ninth inning but a great catch from Nick Castellanos denied them the win.