Baseball has a way of pulling at every emotion, from joy to heartbreak. But every now and then, something happens on the diamond that leaves the fans not just emotional but also outraged. That was the case during the intense showdown between the San Diego Padres and the Houston Astros. In just the first inning, Padres standout Luis Arraez went down with an injury that forced him off the field. So, what exactly happened that turned this game into a flashpoint for fans’ fury?

Mauricio Dubón of the Houston Astros and Luis Arraez collided at first base during Sunday night’s game between the two teams. Arraez was taken off the field following the collision and was seen being stretchered off, despite the Padres defeating the Astros 3-2. Now, fans are angry—some even blaming the Astros for doing it intentionally. But is that true?

The incident occurred when the Astros’ first baseman attempted to field the ball, and Mauricio Dubón (playing second base) tried to cover first. At the same time, Arraez reached the base, resulting in a collision. The three-time batting champion fell hard to the ground and was rushed to a nearby hospital. The Padres released a quick update, stating, “Luis Arraez has been transported to Houston Methodist Hospital for further evaluation. He is currently stable, conscious, responsive, and able to move his extremities.”

Thankfully, the injury wasn’t as serious as it initially appeared, and the update brought relief to Padres fans. Luis Arraez has been batting .287 this season, with three home runs and seven RBIs.

And Dubón was visibly concerned too; he made it clear it wasn’t on purpose, and his thoughts were with Arraez. He checked in on Arraez at the hospital and explained that he saw the collision coming but had nowhere to go. “I stayed on the bag, braced for impact, and shut my eyes,” he said, recalling the scary moment. Seeing Arraez motionless shook him, especially since, as he put it, “I’m not a dirty player.” With no room to maneuver, Dubón felt helpless and feared he’d take the brunt of the hit himself. Even so, fans are still criticizing the Astros, claiming the play was either careless or deliberate.

Yes, fans are quick to label any questionable play by the Astros as shady. They reminisce about that whole cheating mess from 2017 and 2018, where they were caught using video feeds and tech to steal signs. So now, the second anything feels off, fans are like, “Here we go again.” That reputation’s hard to shake.

Astros’ collision incident with Padres star sparks fan frenzy

Right after the Padres’ star Luis Arraez was hospitalized, the news spread like wildfire, with fans flooding social media with their criticism of the Astros. One X user wrote, “Common Astros playing dirty smh.” Throwback to the use of an internal database and decoding signs of catchers or engaging in schemes to win the games.

Another user on X clearly mentioned that Mauricio Dubon shouldn’t have blocked Arraez, which could have avoided the collision. “Dubon needed to get out of the way,” he said. However, we can not deny that it was somewhat impossible for Dubon to get out of the way, given that he was trying to get the ball thrown by Christian Walker.

A similar response came from another fan, who commented, “Why does he get in the way? It looked intentional to me.” For him, it seemed intentional, and that’s why the Astros are being blamed. However, there was no foul play recorded, as Dubon aimed at covering the base first.

Things got more serious when a Padres well-wisher said, “Bro, the Astros player did not need to do that. s—y f–king franchise,” putting the entire blame on Dubon. Had Dubon allowed Arraez to reach first base to score, the accident might not have happened. But every player wants to do the best for their team, right? Definitely, but as far as the collision looked like, it was not something serious – just a little bit of scratches near the jawline and he was good to go. 

Finally, a sensible comment came from another user, who wrote, “What kind of second baseman thinks that’s how you cover first? Someone at least fine this guy.” In 2019, the Astros had to pay a whopping $5 million following the cheating scandal. Reasonable, right? But the way Dubón and the Padres’ first-base coach started checking on him immediately after he fell to the ground, staying motionless, it didn’t seem anything was done with purpose. The fan might be true in his statement, but it is also true that in any case the ground balls hit to the first base, the second baseman and pitcher could cover the first base instead.

While the chatter continues about who is right or wrong, let’s hear it from you—what action do you think MLB should take?