Did you ever zone out? Then, probably you can relate to what happened with Jose Altuve! But right now, his responsibilities are more than ever – not just a shortstop or 2B, but also a left fielder. So, expectations are, of course, running high. And in such a scenario, even the tiniest of errors will draw criticism.
We cannot say that Jose Altuve is only disappointing us. Because he has been batting at an average of .264 for the Houston Astros, with nine home runs, 23 RBIs, a .310 OBP, and a .714 OPS. But the Friday night occurrence may leave a dark impression on his well-decorated career.
It was in the ninth inning when Jose Altuve walked into a double play, committing a TOOTBLAN. And as we did our research, we found out that’s something Altuve does a lot (a Tumblr post confirmed that). Now, even after that, the Houston Astros won 4-2 against the Cleveland Guardians, but Jose Altuve’s mistake robbed the Astros of the opportunity to make a rally with the bases loaded.
While we all thought what the heck just happened, Altuve silently walked off the field. Now, fans are infuriated.
If we look closely, Jose Altuve probably thought that Isaac Parades was tagged. And that’s when he started running after making a flyout to the right field area. Ultimately, Altuve got tagged out to finish the inning. All that happened in a flash.
Jose Altuve commits a stationary TOOTBLAN to end the top of 9th with the bases loaded
byu/HalfwayThereOne_ inbaseball
For a moment, it felt like the Houston Astros’ second baseman was also puzzled about what happened. But still, the Guardians couldn’t do anything in their favor as they were trailing behind when they entered the ninth inning. Josh Harder earned a save in the ninth inning, and they won the game.
But there’s no denying that such a base-running mistake is hard to ignore, especially for a player like Jose Altuve. You can definitely feel the anger of the fans. Although this time, it didn’t cost the game, you cannot say that it will never…
Jose Altuve’s mistake in the ninth got fans in a frenzy
The Houston Astros are currently sitting atop the AL West with a 35-28 record. And despite their win against the Cleveland Guardians, a huge amount of attention is shifted to Jose Altuve’s mistake. To be frank, it’s hard to get over. Don’t you think?
One of the fans, clearly frustrated, raised a voice against it. “Just inexcusable from Altuve. Not that he went when Parades wasn’t going; that’s fairly understandable, even if he probably should’ve figured that out earlier. It’s a mistake, but not a horrible one. But just standing there and accepting the tag? Force a throw, get into a rundown, give Parades a chance to score, and show some damn effort, man!” Honestly, it might have been too casual on his end. It might be true that he couldn’t figure out Parades before going, but standing there idle and getting tagged out was a lazy attempt. The fan wanted Altuve to push harder for a run, which could have forced the opponent to throw the ball quickly enough. At least that would have helped Parades to score a run, too. While he looked a bit perplexed, the mistake might be more mental than physical.
Another comment pointed out that the shame of getting tagged will confuse a player. And as it turned out, he was unfazed about what was happening. “I’ve had that same thing happen because I just s— myself. Shame will stop you dead in your tracks. Just ask George Brett.” That’s an interesting take. We cannot ignore that it’s exactly what happened with Altuve, who wrongly assumed Parades to be tagged. The fan recalled a similar incident with George Brett long ago. During the game against the California Angels, in the seventh inning, right after pushing the ball to second base, he thought of getting thrown out. But unfortunately, the ball moved to the right field, and Tim Fortugno picked him off after he made his 3000th hit. The similarity is uncanny!
Another fan was left disappointed and couldn’t believe what he saw. “He’s always been awful at base running.” Altuve used to be an excellent base stealer, but there was a time when he was caught five times in a single series. In 2013, Jose Altuve had the highest number of TOOTBLANs (17). That’s what WE said!
Then came another set of criticisms. “Maybe one of these decades he’ll learn how to play the game. At his age and with his experience, there is no excuse for this.” Yes, with 15 years of experience, it’s expected that we will want more from him. But the 35-year-old is still doing good for the team, and maybe it’s just a day that he would like to forget and focus on the upcoming games.
Finally, amid the criticism and questioning, one comment gives us a way to point out the mistake properly. “I’m guessing he was trying to draw a throw so the run could score, but I don’t really know. It is possible that this was a set play where he and the third base coach got crossed up. He looked very deliberately right between second and third. Just a guess.” Well, the comment does make sense. If we look at the clip, Jose Altuve was seemingly a bit confused. Maybe he was trying to score a run, but eventually landed in a state that he wasn’t ready for. The third-base coach, Tony Perezchica, waved him home after scoring from first base during Christian Walker’s two-run single. However, the base-running mistake got him tagged out at second, despite having Parades in front of him.
Well, despite everything, fans expect efforts from Jose Altuve. And probably they trust him, too. That’s why Reddit got crowded with so many reactions. Hopefully, he will be ready to do his best for his team in the future.
The post Enraged Astros Fans Explode After Jose Altuve’s Bizarre Brain Fade Foils Bases Loaded Opportunity appeared first on EssentiallySports.
