“It was a terrible toss.” “Yeah, that was a quick trigger.” The blunt reactions from the commentators perfectly captured the confusion surrounding the controversial call on Wednesday. The Houston Astros dugout wasn’t happy with the umpires awarding Mike Trout a hit-by-pitch. But the frustration ran deeper than just this one call, as the officials had a different ruling for Jeremy Peña in the first inning. And before Joe Espada could even have a proper conversation, the first base umpire had already had enough of him. 

“Astros manager Joe Espada was ejected after arguing this hit-by-pitch call,” Foul Territory captioned the clip with Trout getting hit in the hand. 

The Astros were hosting the Los Angeles Angels for the second game, and Ethan Pecko was the starter. They were tied scoreless in the top of the 3rd when Trout came to the batter’s box. Pecko threw a 93-mph sinker, and Trout initially wanted to take a swing.

But he checked it, and the pitch hit him on the top of his left fist. The sound of the impact, followed by Trout throwing his bat and holding his hand, sent a scare to the fans.

While the pain took some time to subside, the conversation quickly went in a different direction. 

“Was that a fair ball or was it a hit-by-pitch?” the broadcaster wondered.

The umpire eventually ruled it an HBP, awarding Trout first base. Neither the crowd at the Daikin Park nor the Houston dugout took it positively.

Espada and bench coach Omar Lopez started protesting from the dugout. But Lance Barrett was not eager to pay heed.

He signalled with his hand, asking Espada to stop. But the 50-year-old wanted to have the conversation.

Barrett handed him his second ejection of the season as soon as he saw Espada coming out of the dugout. And the boos got much louder.

The manager still appeared in front of the ump and argued, hoping he could make his case. Notably, Peña was hit in the hand in the first inning, and the umpire called it a strike. Hence, everyone was wondering how Trout’s case could be any different. 

Factually, Peña took a swing, and the ball hit him. According to MLB rules, the hand is part of the body and not the bat. But since he swung, it resulted in a strike.

Trout, on the other hand, checked his swing. While both were declared dead balls, it was a HBP for Trout. 

And it wasn’t just the decision that went differently. The two players had contrasting consequences as well. 

Astros’ shortstop provides contradiction, raises concerns

While Mike continued to play, Peña was replaced by pinch-hitter Nick Allen in the bottom of the third. The medical team checked him after he was hit in the first.

They gave him the go-ahead, and he continued with his defensive duties for a while. But it caught up to him again just before his at-bat.

Espada had to pull him. 

This is not the first time Peña has suffered an injury this season.

He started the year with a fractured ring finger. The 28–year-old missed the World Baseball Classic. He rejoined the Astros roster but suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain on April 11.

It kept him away from the field for over a month. He had another 10-day IL stint due to a mild left calf strain in late June. 

Peña has been quite productive with the bat (.283 AVG and .808 OPS), but his injury setbacks have been a concern. And after he exited the game on Wednesday, the fans appeared worried. 

Fortunately, Joe Espada said that the X-ray on his hand came back negative. That means he will avoid a long-term IL stint. But the manager noted that his hand is still sore. 

The Houston Astros are atop the AL West. They are the only team in the division with an above .500 record, but barely. A 64-63 doesn’t offer them much room to breathe. And losing one of the key hitters will have a much bigger impact than an ejection for Espada.