HP umpire Brennan Miller ejected Astros 2B Jose Altuve and 1B umpire Chris Conroy in the 9th inning of the #Astros-#Padres game (fair ball decision; QOCN). With two outs and one on, Astros batter Altuve hit a 1-1 sinker from Padres pitcher Robert Suarez on the ground to third baseman Manny Machado to first baseman Donovan Solano; HP umpire Miller ruled this a fair ball. Replays show that the batted ball touched Altuve’s foot after contact with Altuve’s bat before bouncing into fair territory; the call was incorrect. At the time of the ejection, the score was tied 3-3. The Astros ultimately won the game 4-3 after 10 innings.
This is Chris Conroy’s (98) second eviction in 2024.
For Brennan Miller (55), this is the fourth expulsion in 2024.
Official Baseball Rule 5.09(a)(7): “If the batter is in a legal position in the batter’s box (see Rule 5.04(b)(5)) and, in the umpire’s discretion, there was no intent to interfere with the course of the ball, a batted ball that strikes the batter or his bat is a foul ball.“
Fair/foul in the infield is not currently a reviewable play.
These are the 175th and 176th exclusion reports of the 2024 MLB season.
This is the 87th manager sacking in 2024.
This is the 59th player ban in 2024. Exclusion record: 87 managers, 29 coaches, 59 players.
This is Houston’s 12th/13th elimination in 2024, the first in the AL West (HOUSE 13; OAK 8; SEA7; LAA, TEX 6).
This is Jose Altuve’s second expulsion in 2024, the first since June 30 (James Jean; QOC = N (Fair/Foul)).
