The pitcher's agent said Wednesday that it was “ridiculous” to say that only Houston Astros left-hander Framber Valdez would deliberately hit his catcher with the court, “a total disrespect for his identity as a person.”
Valdez said he apologized to catcher Cesar Salazar, who kicked the ball in front of his chest and said he had “crossed”.
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The pitchers appeared to beat Sarah Salle 1-0 to beat Yankees' Trent Grisham while the base was loaded in the fifth inning. Salazar then urged Valdez to step out of the mound, but he continued on the court, with Grisham leading the left-handed Grand Slam 6-0 in the final 7-1 victory.
On the second court of the next batsman, Valdez hit Sarah Salle in the chest at 93 mph, frustrated about whether he was upset with Grisham At-Bat and whether he was going to be upset.
“There is no doubt, no doubt what Franber is, his representation of the team and his thinking process,” Ulises Cabrera, a special agent representing Valdez, told the Houston Chronicle on Wednesday.
“The idea that he deliberately tried to hurt one of his teammates was ridiculous. It was totally lacking respect for who he was a person and who he was a player. His work showed that. On the contrary, anything was completely misleading, and that wasn't right.”
Astros pitcher Francer Valdez's agent said his client didn't intentionally hit his catcher in his chest with a 93mph fastball, which would be “absurd” and “misleading”. Troy Taormina-Imagn Images
Valdez and Salazar spoke as reporters entered the club after the game, both saying the incident was not intentional, Salazar pressed the “wrong button” on his Pitchcom launcher and had already sorted out the stuff after the game and after the game.
“I believe he's absolutely frustrated because anyone who has played any sports … you're frustrated, rattled, angry. These things happen,” Astros general manager Dana Brown said in Houston Wednesday. “Sometimes you're angry, you can't see straightforward. He crossed him. They talked after the game and they squeezed.”
Astronauts manager Joe Espada said Wednesday that he met with two players at the same time after Tuesday's game because he “wanted to hear the truth about the situation.”
“I really want to be the first one, [Valdez] Go away [the mound]Espada said. “I want to know the thought process – which pitch, who is calling which tone and what – I want to receive both of them at the same time. I want to have a conversation face to face because I want to hear the truth about the whole thing that happened in that game.”
Cabrera said Valdez was surprised by his intention to hit Sarah Salal.
“Never mindfully hurt his teammates,” Cabrera told the Chronicle. “The mix is happening all the time, like a pitcher trembling [off a pitch] Always. This is not a problem.
“But when people questioned the quality of Framber as a teammate and his interest in defending his companions on the canoe on the field, it really became a problem. He messed up. He admitted. He said.
Espada just hopes that all parties will continue to move forward from the incident.
“I want to put it behind us,” Espada said. “There has been a lot of speculation and content in the media…I don't like it. A lot of things aren't true. But I understand the environment and everything that comes with it. I'm grateful if we can go beyond it and go back to baseball.”
The Associated Press information is used in this report.