Houston Astros Put Through Ridiculous Ringer with Home Run Call
Houston Astros right fielder Kyle Tucker collected his fifth triple of the season in the fifth inning of Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, or so he thought.
Tucker blasted a line drive over the head of Diamondbacks right fielder Jake McCarthy, then proceeded to round the bases for a little league home run. The official scorer ruled the play a triple with an error.
Less than an hour later, after consulting with Elias, the ruling was reversed, making the play a home run. This gave Tucker his 30th home run of the season and his first 30-30 season of his Major League career. But the indecisiveness did not end there.
20 minutes later, upon further review with Elias, the play was returned to a triple, the third different ruling of Tucker's hit.
The Astros would go on to win 8-1, clinching their third-straight American League West division title. Their victory Sunday paired with the Texas Rangers' 1-0 loss to the Seattle Mariners tied Houston and Texas for the division lead, with matching 90-72 records. Since Houston won nine of the 13 games played between the two clubs in 2023, the Astros own the head-to-head tiebreaker, and therefore, are AL West champions for the sixth time in seven years. Houston has not missed the postseason since 2016.
The Astros will receive a first round bye in the playoffs and enjoy nearly a week off, before beginning the American League Division Series Saturday. They will play either the Minnesota Twins or the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Rangers will travel to Tampa Bay for a best-of-three series with the Rays. The winner will advance to play the Baltimore Orioles.
The National League and American League Wild Card Series will begin on Tuesday and end on Thursday, with all of the round's games airing on ESPN.
