On a night when he gave up six runs, perhaps the most memorable pitch that Houston Astros starter Framber Valdez threw in Tuesday’s 7-1 loss to the New York Yankees is one that didn’t even advance beyond the pitcher’s mound.
Facing Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham with the bases loaded, Valdez appeared to shake off catcher César Salazar’s pitch call and subsequent request to step off the mound. Grisham then crushed a grand slam, giving the Yankees a 6-0 lead and leaving an understandably angry Valdez in his wake.
Valdez then turned heads when, two pitches later, he hit Salazar in the chest with a 93 mph pitch. Amid accusations he intentionally threw at his catcher, Valdez told reporters that the two simply got “crossed up.”
There’s speculation that Astros pitcher Framber Valdez purposely crossed up his catcher Cesar Salazar and hit him with this pitch after Salazar told him to step off before allowing a grand slam pic.twitter.com/ds3c9MzQV6
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) September 3, 2025
“We went down to the dugout, and I excused myself with him,” Valdez said, “and I said sorry to him, and I take full responsibility for that.”
Valdez also dismissed the idea that he’d intentionally retaliate against Salazar following the grand slam.
“It’s just stuff that happens in baseball,” Valdez said. “But yeah, we talked through it and we’re good.”
Added Salazar: “The stadium was loud. I thought I pressed the [PitchCom] button, but I pressed the wrong button. I was expecting another pitch, but it wasn’t it.”
Framber Valdez may have just hurt his chances at a major free-agent contract
On the one hand, it’s great that Valdez apologized to Salazar and that the two seemingly cleared the air. However, neither should have even found themselves in that situation to begin with, and the overall incident reflects horribly on Valdez, especially ahead of free agency.
The footage speaks for itself, and viewers clearly see Salazar’s irritated and disbelieving response to getting hit in the chest. Teams may rightfully ask themselves if this is what they’re setting themselves up for by signing Valdez to a multi-year contract that should exceed $100 million. Valdez’s 5.03 ERA and 41-16 K-BB ratio in 48 1/3 second-half innings isn’t helping his case, either.
To be clear, the bigger issue here isn’t that Valdez was likely frustrated upon allowing a grand slam. By no means are we excusing it, though we can at least note that it’s not the first time — and it certainly won’t be the last time — that a player reacted angrily after a play gone wrong. Houston has a three-game AL West lead over the Mariners with less than a month left, and the Astros can’t afford to lose if they want home-field advantage.
If we as baseball fans collectively embrace home run celebrations or fist pumps following a clutch strikeout, then we also can’t get mad when a pitcher is displeased after allowing a grand slam. The 31-year-old Valdez must learn from this and ensure that any future reactions are limited to, say, yelling in his glove or venting during a postgame media scrum. Nothing good ever comes out of dragging teammates or coaches into your own frustration.