But the superstar argued that he fouled the ball off his foot and tried a bit of weird show-and-tell: He shed his shoe and sock, presumably to reveal a telltale sign of where the ball struck. (Watch the videos below.)
Umpire Brennan Miller was not amused or moved. He threw him out of the game.
The Astros went on to win without their superstar, 4-3, in 10 innings.
“If you get a hit right there, we won the game,” Altuve said, per MLB.com. “It doesn’t matter what happens. Just the fact they took it away from me, makes me really mad.”
His manager appreciated the theatrical effort, even though the call was not reviewable.
“I respect that from Jose,” Joe Espada said, per the outlet. “He wants to win, and he’s a winner. Hey, I’ll take it. I get it. If it was me, I would probably take my shoes off, too, to prove a point.”
USA Today quipped that at least Altuve’s teammates “didn’t have to share in the pain of de-feet.”
For what it’s worth, it looks like Altuve may have been right.
