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The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers' fierce rivalry lived up to the billing at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday night. Fans were furious after Houston's Framber Valdez almost took out Nathaniel Lowe.
It was a wild night for Valdez, as he was at the receiving end of a two-run homer at the top of the third inning by the Rangers' Lowe. Things got worse for the Dominican pitcher as Leody Taveras grabbed the lead for the Rangers with a two-run single in the top of the fourth inning.
Marcus Semien was the next hitter to cash in, smashing a two-run homer to solidify Texas's 6-3 lead in the game. That rattled Valdez as he exchanged a few words with the Astros catcher before departing the field of play.
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Lowe, who struck his 15th home run earlier in the season, faced the wrath of Valdez. He was almost knocked out by the pitcher's fastball aimed at the Texas batter's head, making him furious.
It turned out to be Valdez's last pitch of the night as Astros manager Dusty Baker pulled the 29-year-old from the game.
Texas fans let their feelings be known on Twitter, calling for strict action against the Astros pitcher. One fan labeled Valdez a "thug" after his antics on Wednesday night:
"Framber Valdez is a thug!"
Here are some of the top Twitter reactions:
Texas Rangers avoid series sweep after clinical hitting performance
The Houston Astros, aiming for a series sweep, took the lead against the Texas Rangers after Alex Bregman's three-run homer at the bottom of the first inning.
Leody Taveras almost got the visitors back into the game, only for Kyle Tucker's home run at the top of the third inning. However, Texas eventually found its way back into the game after Nathaniel Lowe's two-run homer. Marcus Semien was the next hitter to grab a homer as the visitors established a lead for the first time in the game after the fourth inning.
The visitors kept piling the pressure, stretching their lead with Sam Huff's home run in the fifth. The game seemingly slipped from the Astros after Adolis Garcia's grand slam made it 13-3 in favor of the Rangers.
It was the 21st time Texas scored 10 or more in a game, the most in the MLB this season. Yainer Diaz's two-run homer for the Astros in the ninth inning wasn't enough as the hosts succumbed to a 13-5 loss.
