MLB fans furious after Framber Valdez's hit-by-pitch incident vs Mariners: "Thug mentality"

Framber Valdez had an off day on the mound against the Seattle Mariners as he suffered his ninth loss of the season. The starting pitcher for the Astros almost created an altercation between both teams when, out of frustration, he hit Mariners' Jose Caballero on the foot.

The incident in question occurred in the top of the fifth inning with the home team trailing 6-2. Dylan Moore had just homered for the Mariners as they stretched their lead over the defending champions. Unable to vent his frustration properly, Framber Valdez struck Caballero in the foot on a 96 mph fastball that was nowhere near the strike zone.

This immediately led to Caballero walking up to the Astros pitcher as the Seattle bench spilled onto the field. Framber Valdez was taken away from the center of the scene by Julio Rodriguez who became the peacemaker.

After the game, Valdez explained that he had no intention of hitting the opposing batter.

“Caballero reacted a little bit crazy there,” Valdez said. “It was a bad pitch, I hit him by mistake, it wasn't intentional. Obviously, hit by pitches happen in a game. He reacted a little bit aggressively, so I reacted as well. It's part of the game.”

However, fans were having none of it as they were angered by the action meted out by Valdez towards the Mariners batter.

Records tumble in the game between Astros and Mariners

Framber Valdez's incident didn't overshadow the other achievements that took place during the game. Firstly, Julio Rodriguez set the record for most hits in a four-game stretch with 17. This included games against the Kansas City Royals and the Astros, breaking a record that had stood since 1925.

From the opposing roster, veteran Jose Altuve continued his good form, going 3-5 and in the process becoming the third Houston batter and fastest ever to reach 2,000 hits in his career.

The Mariners moved within 1.5 games of their opponents in second spot for the AL Wild Card.