Houston Astros catcher Cesar Salazar did not believe there was any friendly fire during his team’s Tuesday contest against the New York Yankees at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas.
Astros pitcher Framber Valdez, moments after giving up a grand slam with two outs in the top of the fifth inning, appeared to throw a pitch with the intention of hitting Salazar. Houston’s catcher set up for a ball down and in, but Valdez threw a fastball right down the middle that struck Salazar’s chest protector.
While it’s possible the two just got mixed up, Valdez did not appear apologetic at all after hitting Salazar with a 93-mph sinking fastball.
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
After the game, reporters asked Salazar about the incident. The Astros catcher dispelled the notion that the hit was intentional and even took the blame himself, suggesting the crowd noise in their home stadium caused him to make a PitchCom error.
“It was a big spot for the Yankees,” Salazar told reporters when pressed about the incident. “The stadium was loud and I thought I pressed the button, but I pressed the wrong button and I was expecting another pitch, but that was it. I pressed the wrong button and yeah, that’s what it was.
“No, we didn’t get crossed up. Like I said, there were a good amount of Yankees fans, so it was pretty loud after the grand slam. Maybe my PitchCom wasn’t in the right spot, so I pressed the wrong button, you know.”
Salazar entered Tuesday with just 35 MLB games under his belt across three seasons. Valdez, on the other hand, is a two-time All-Star and perennial Cy Young Award candidate.
Whether or not Salazar felt disrespected by Valdez, it may have been in the catcher’s best interest not to blow up the issue. The Astros may prefer to deal with the issue in the clubhouse behind closed doors.
