A fan interference call just changed complexion of ALCS

A potential home run by the Astros Jose Altuve was called back due to fan interference, and that call changed the complexion of the ALCS.

The ALCS just changed on the dime, thanks to a Houston Astros fan that wanted a playoff souvenir.

With the Astros down 2-1 in the ALCS, and behind 2-0 to the high-powered Boston Red Sox, Jose Altuve, the team’s star, appeared to knock a two-run home run out of the park that would have tied the game and brought the house down at Minute Maid Park.

Alas, it seems like the Baseball Gods were not on the Astros side.

Outfielder Mookie Betts had a chance to rob Altuve, but he was in a battle for the ball by an Astros fan, and the baseball sailed over the fence, looking like Altuve had hit a dinger that Houston desperately needed.

Betts and the Red Sox then protested that the fan interfered with the catch, and after a long conference, the umpires decided that it was fan interference. A lengthy review followed, producing what were probably the most-pressure packed moments of the ALCS as the outcome threatened to have series-changing implications.

After those tense moments, the umpires came to the conclusion that the fan did indeed interfere, Altuve was called out, and the Red Sox were able to get out of the first inning with a 2-0 lead.

See for yourself below:

No matter which side of the fence you’re on, that call may prove to be the biggest in this series. The Astros have fallen prey to Boston’s pitching, and that home run was needed to give Houston some much-needed confidence.

Instead, it may be the final nail in the coffin for the Astros’ back-to-back championship dreams.