Houston Astros pitcher Framber Valdez made an emergency change after a disastrous start to Game 2 of the American League Championship Series.
Valdez gave up four runs in the first 16 pitches of the first inning of Game 2, with his own throwing error contributing to the early ambush. Though Valdez eventually got out of the inning without further damage, he put the Astros in a 4-0 hole against the Texas Rangers before the home team could even bat.
This was enough for Valdez to make a significant change. The FOX broadcast noted that the pitcher came out for the second inning wearing a different pair of cleats than he had worn in the first.
Framber changed his cleats after that brutal first inning pic.twitter.com/xPti1JwAJl
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) October 16, 2023
Considering how poorly the first inning had gone for Valdez, he had no reason not to try something radical. It was debatable whether it helped much, however, as two more Rangers batters reached in the second. Unlike in the first, Valdez did escape without any further damage.
Valdez had a lot of success in last year’s postseason that has not followed into this year. Then again, he is hardly the only one to have trouble with the Texas lineup.
