You don’t bunt and then start running inside the grass line, and the Angels just found out the hard way. Facing the Astros at Daikin Park, Los Angeles’ $1.7 million second baseman Adam Frazier appeared to cross that line. The move quickly drew the broadcasters’ attention
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On Thursday, the Angels did not look like the third-worst team in the league, as they trounced the Astros 18-3. The victory in the series finale marked the Angels’ first series win on the road since May.
Despite the huge win, Adam Frazier’s unusual base-running effort in the second inning became the talk of the night. Sleeper Astros posted a clip of Frazier’s running on X as he had to duck out of the way with the ball thrown to home plate.
“This is ABSURD,” wrote SleeperAstros on X. “Adam Frazier with the most bush league play you’ve seen in a while. Runs completely up the 1st base line and has to duck to get out of the way.”
One of the cardinal unwritten rules of baseball is not to interfere with the fielder’s path.
At the top of the second, Josh Lowe reached third base on a wild pitch. In the next at-bat, Frazier hit a grounder with the Angels leading 3-2. But instead of running on the basepaths, Frazier chose to run on the grass, obstructing LaMonte Wade Jr. as the Astros’ first baseman threw home to tag Lowe.
Frazier was so far into the grass that he had to duck to escape the baseball Wade threw. Otherwise, it would have struck him in the head. Christian Vasquez tagged Lowe at home plate, but the call was overturned after the Angels challenged. All runners were declared safe at base while Lowe scored to extend the lead.
“He was almost going from home plate and a direct line to the fielder instead of running towards the base,” remarked a surprised broadcaster.
“Yeah, that’s a little bush league,” Another broadcaster agreed.
Frazier went 2-for-5, driving in 2 RBIs in total, including a double in the 6-run fourth. Frazier is batting .243 with 10 RBIs this season.
However, interfering with the opposing team’s fielder is not new in baseball. Neither is Frazier the first to walk those blurry lines. The Yankees’ legend Alex Rodriguez has a notable moment of his own.
In May 2007, A-Rod yelled, “Ha, I got it” while running beside Howie Clark during a game against the Blue Jays. The third baseman pulled away from the pop-up, and the ball dropped shortly to score a run.
Coming back to the Angels, let’s have a look at what went down at Daikin Park.
Zach Neto leads as the Angels rout the Astros
Entering the series finale tied at 1-1, the Los Angeles Angels crushed the Houston Astros on Thursday. During their 18-3 triumph to take the series, Zach Neto led the charge with 7 RBI hits.
On Thursday, the Angels recorded 18 hits in contrast to the Astros’ 8. In the second inning, the Angels wiped out the brief 2-1 lead the Astros held, starting with a double. Vaughn Grissom hit a game-tying, RBI single, which was followed by a run-scoring bunt from Tyler Heineman.
While the Astros’ starter Peter Lambert appeared to have found his footing in the third, he imploded again in the fourth. The Angels recorded six runs as Lowe led off with a single. Lambert surrendered an RBI double to Frazier, who scored on Zach Neto’s single.
Denzer Guzman wrapped up the Angels’ attack with a two-run shot in the ninth. Amid a rough season, manager Kurt Suzuki enjoyed seeing his team win.
“It was nice,” Suzuki told MLB.com. “I think it was just quality at-bat after quality at-bat. Guys weren’t trying to do too much, and they still hit the ball out of the park. It was definitely good for everybody’s confidence. They’ve been working hard. Hitting guys have been working with them hard. It was nice to put it all together.”
However, despite their massive win, the Angels still hold the second-to-last position in the AL West, while the Astros remain at the top.