Jose Altuve Ejected For Taking His Sock And Shoe Off During Argument With Umpire

How can you not be romantic about baseball? Tuesday's game between the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres was a reminder of just how bizarre Major League Baseball can get, all thanks to Astros star second baseman Jose Altuve.

The Astros and Padres were locked in a close game, with playoff implications for both teams. The Astros could extend their American League West division lead to five games over the Seattle Mariners and lower their magic number to seven. San Diego, knowing the Los Angeles Dodgers had already lost, could move to just 2.5 games out of first place. Yet even in the middle of an intense, playoff-like game, baseball found a way to make it weird.

With two outs in the ninth inning of a 3-3 game, Altuve came to the plate against Padres closer Robert Suarez. On a 1-1 count, Altuve fouled a ball off his foot, with the ball dribbling down the line to third baseman Manny Machado. The umpires, shockingly, completely missed the call, ruling it a live ball in play, resulting in the end of the inning. Altuve, understandably, was furious. 

Foul balls off the foot are not reviewable, so Altuve decided the best way to plead his case was to take his shoe and sock off and show the umpires that the ball hit his foot. They didn't like it.

Altuve was tossed out, and the umpires went on their merry way after blowing one of the most important calls of an extremely important game.

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 17: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros argues with the umpire showing his bare foot after making an out in the ninth inning at Petco Park on September 17, 2024, in San Diego, California. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images)

Jose Altuve Provides Drama, Umpires Provide Incompetence

The umpires missed it, and in a display of peak umpiring, got upset at being called out for it. Altuve should have known that making a scene would lead to an ejection, but it's not hard to see why he was desperate for them to reverse the mistake.

SAN DIEGO, CA - SEPTEMBER 17: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros points to his foot after grounding out during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on September 17, 2024 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images)

Somehow, despite occurring in the 9th inning, it wasn't the last blown call from the umpiring crew. The game went to extras, with the Astros taking a 4-3 lead. Despite getting a runner to third with no one out, the Padres' Luis Arraez and Fernando Tatis Jr. couldn't get the run in, leaving it up to Jurickson Profar with two outs. The first pitch of the at bat from Hector Neris ran up and in, nearly hitting Profar. Except the umpire ruled that it had hit him. Missing yet another important call.

Profar, hoping to get an opportunity to hit, immediately signaled to review it, and the Astros obliged, challenging the call. But because MLB's replay review system is completely broken, they let the hit by pitch stand. 

The Astros bench was stunned, and rightfully so. Manny Machado grounded out sharply to second to end the game, and Profar remained furious with the umpires after the final out.

This game was a near perfect distillation of the umpiring problem baseball has. Yes, umpires are human; they're going to make mistakes. But replay review is there to correct those mistakes. In theory. 

In practice though, MLB artificially limits the number of reviewable plays, allowing an obvious blown call like the Altuve foul ball to stand. And resulting in the ejection of an important player in a late-September game. And because the league has instructed the replay review team to view the call on the field as unimpeachable truth, the New York crew routinely makes obvious mistakes, terrified to overturn rulings in person.

This has to be fixed; everyone in the stadium or watching on television, outside of the home plate umpire, saw that Altuve had fouled the ball off. Everyone saw that the pitch missed Profar. But because the umpire got it wrong both times, both plays stood. Review was supposed to fix this, and it isn't. Though at least baseball's problems provided an opportunity for Altuve to walk around the field barefoot and remind everyone how odd this sport can be.