There were multiple ejections after a benches-clearing incident late in Game 5 of the ALCS on Friday.
In the bottom of the eighth inning at Globe Life Field, Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis García was hit in his upper body with a first-pitch fastball from Houston Astros reliever Bryan Abreu.
García immediately turned and got in Astros catcher Martín Maldonado's face, seemingly believing he had been hit on purpose. A heated García had to be restrained as both benches and bullpens cleared.
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García and Abreu were ejected from the game. Tom Verducci reported on the Fox broadcast that the umpires had determined Abreu intended to throw at García, which led to the pitcher's ejection.
Astros manager Dusty Baker was then also tossed from the game for arguing about Abreu's ejection. The hit-by-pitch gave the Rangers runners on first and second with zero outs.
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“How do you prove intent? That’s what I don’t understand," Baker told reporters postgame, via the Associated Press. "I haven’t been that mad in a long time. And I don’t usually get mad about nothing."
In García's previous at-bat, he launched a three-run homer off Justin Verlander to put the Rangers up 4-2 in the sixth inning. After hitting the go-ahead homer, García slammed his bat to the ground in celebration.
“I think we’re in the postseason. It’s the moment. You hit a ball like that, you’re going to celebrate. It’s where we’re at right now," García said through a translator. "If they’re trying to react to that, I don’t think that’s the correct way.”
García's three-run blast, however, wouldn't stand as the game-winning hit. In the top of the ninth, the Astros answered back with a go-ahead three-run homer of their own as José Altuve took José Leclerc deep.
The first two Rangers hitters reached base in the bottom of the ninth, but Texas couldn't push across the tying run. Ryan Pressly closed out the 5-4 win for Houston by getting Marcus Semien to line out and Corey Seager to fly out before striking out Evan Carter.
After falling behind 2-0 in the series, the defending champion Astros have ripped off three straight wins in Arlington to put themselves one victory away from another trip to the World Series.
Game 6 of the ALCS is scheduled for Sunday night as the series shifts back to Houston.
