After plate umpire disallowed a hit-by-pitch, Houston utility man Aledmys Díaz had green light on 3-0.
Houston Astros Aledmys Diaz moves out of the way of a pitch from Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher David Robertson in the 10th inning during Game 1 of the World Series at Minute Maid Park on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022, in Houston.With the Astros down to their final out Friday in Game 1 of the World Series, Astros manager Dusty Baker pinch hit Aledmys Díaz in what would end up a pivotal and controversial at-bat.
Facing Phillies reliever David Robertson with runners on second and third in the bottom of the 10th inning, Díaz took a 2-0 slider on his left elbow and thought he had loaded the bases for the Astros. But home plate umpire James Hoye ruled that Díaz had intentionally leaned into the pitch and did not award him first base, instead calling it ball three. Díaz whiffed on a 3-0 pitch and then grounded out on a 3-1 pitch to end the game.
Díaz maintained after the game that he did not lean into the pitch, but before Game 2 on Saturday, Baker said he thought Díaz was trying to “be the hero.” “It was just a matter of, you know, sometimes you want to be the hero,” Baker said. “I mean, most of us have played hero in our lives since we were little kids, and this is what it kind of looked like to me. I mean, I was letting him hit 3-0. I let a lot of 'em hit 3-0. But you have to get a good pitch to hit 3-0.”
Asked to clarify whether he thought Díaz wanted to get hit with a pitch, Baker said, “No, no, he wanted to — getting hit was better than ending the game. But the fact that he swung 3-0 and then he swung 3-1, so.”