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Astros livid over controversial call in ALCS Game 4: 'That's a clear home run'

The Astros, convinced that MLB robbed them of a two-run homer by Jose Altuve when replay officials in New York upheld right-field umpire Joe West's ruling of fan interference, now are on the brink of elimination.

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros aren’t blaming any fan, or even a veteran umpire’s call, but they were left seething Wednesday night believing that Major League Baseball cheated them out of a possible victory for having too few cameras and an inferior replay booth.

“I’m pissed off, we’re all pissed off," Astros right fielder Josh Reddick said. “That’s the best way to describe it. Frustration, and beyond that, to being pissed off because it would have made a big difference.

“We talked about it during the whole course of the game."

The Astros, convinced that MLB robbed them of a two-run homer by Jose Altuve when replay officials in New York upheld right-field umpire Joe West's ruling of fan interference, now are on the brink of elimination. They lost 8-6 to the Boston Red Sox and trail 3-1 in the American League Championship Series.

“That’s a clear home run, and it’s got to be called right," Reddick said. “We lost by two. Those are two runs that we could have used.

“We should still be playing a game right now.’’

The Astros refuse to say the call was the sole reason for their defeat, but as the game dragged on into the night, with Alex Bregman lining out with the bases loaded on a diving catch by Andrew Benintendi, the call loomed large.

“We started the day with do we have too many cameras in the park," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said, referring to MLB clearing the team of allegations they were spying on the Red Sox by using an intern to take pictures of their dugout in Boston. “I wish we had an angle that was perfectly along the fence line that would show. That's the one camera we don't have."

Certainly, it’s a replay that may live in infamy in the heart of Texas, with folks debating for years whether the call was blown or correct. Perhaps no one will ever know.

The play happened in the bottom of the first with the Astros trailing 2-0. Altuve hit a drive to deep right field and All-Star right fielder Mookie Betts jumped up and stretched his glove out. Tony Caldwell, a lifelong Astros fan who happened to be sitting in the front row of Section 152, tried to catch it too. His hand knocked against Betts’ glove. No one caught the ball.

West called Altuve out.

Replay after replay was shown, but it was virtually impossible to tell if the ball was over the fence or just short. There was no conclusive evidence.

“He called it right away," Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “We were pretty sure that the call was going to stand. I saw the replay, and I said, 'No way they’re going to overturn this.' "

He was right.

“Here’s the whole play," West said. “He hit the ball to right field. He jumped up to try to make a catch. The fan interfered with him over the playing field. That’s why I called spectator interference.’’

He was asked: A clear call?

“Yes," West said. “The replay official said I was right. That’s all. He said I have nothing that can change it."

It wasn’t that the Astros were upset with West’s original call, but that there wasn’t clear evidence shown to the replay officials to change the call. In this world of modern technology, Reddick can’t believe MLB doesn’t have the proper cameras to assure that every play is called correctly.

“Nothing seems to go our way on replay," Reddick said, “it’s like everything gets screwed up at the end.

And certainly, the Astros can’t change the outcome now, praying it won’t be the defining moment that ends their glorious season.

“I got zero control so it’s hard for me to say something," Altuve said, “when it doesn’t matter what I say, they’re not going to change it. Normally, I don’t get mad about umpire’s calls. That one, I was a little upset."

Altuve, who was used as a DH in the game, went back and watched the replay several times, and even he wasn’t sure whether Betts would have caught the ball, or if the fan reached over the fence to touch Betts’ glove.

“I looked at the replay, and it’s tough," Altuve said. “That’s the only thing I can say. It was really hard. I don’t know."

Then again, he knows enough to believe he was robbed. He thought he should have at least been awarded a double.

“Then all of a sudden it wasn’t even a double. It was an out. Two runs, the game ended up by two runs. That made me a little more upset."

Yet, no matter if the Astros’ season ends Thursday with a loss in Game 5, or they pull off a comeback and win the World Series, Altuve says he would never blame a fan for trying to catch a home-run ball.

“What would you do as a fan?" Altuve said. “I would do the same. He’s trying to catch a ball. I don’t have anything against him. He’s another Astros’ fan who is rooting for us. I appreciate that he was trying to help us."

Betts says he is certain he would have made the catch if not for the interference. It was a seven-foot fence. He got a great jump, and was ready for the ball to land into his glove.

“I’m 100% positive I was going to be able to catch that one," Betts said. “But as I jumped and went over, reached my hand up, I felt like somebody was kind of pushing my glove out of the way or something."

In the future, maybe umpires will be positioned further down the line, Reddick said, to help make the right calls. Maybe there should be an impediment or space between the fans and the outfield fence to avoid potential fan interference.

“If anything we are going to change," Reddick said, “is not to let fans have access that close to the game. I know it’s cool to be in the front row. If we can back the fans up, or put a gap in there with a railing, so if the ball goes over, it falls down and not into the seats."

Then again, these incidents are so rare, and Betts says there should be no change.

“I think it's just part of the game," Betts said. “It's just a great fan experience. And we can interact with the fans with them being close, too, good and bad ways.

“It's just one of those things where it was just a freak accident."

Follow Nightengale on Twitter @Bnightengale

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