Mayhem broke loose in the bottom of the eighth inning on Saturday night in the showdown between the Astros and Dodgers.
With the game tied at 7–7, Houston reliever Ryne Stanek was in the middle of a battle with Dodgers shortstop Miguel Rojas.
With two outs and the count full at 3–2, Stanek was called for a balk by second base umpire Junior Valentine. The infraction call allowed Jonny Deluca to be awarded home to give the Dodgers the one-run lead.
The Dodgers take the lead in the 8th after Ryne Stanek is called for a balk
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 25, 2023
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/9lmd99IHlv
The balk call, which was the deciding factor in Los Angeles’s 8–7 win, caused Stanek to go berserk after he struck out Dodgers third baseman Michael Busch to end the inning. After the strikeout, Stanek turned his ire to Valentine, who immediately threw the veteran reliever out of the game.
The controversial call enabled the Dodgers to win their fourth consecutive game, while dropping Houston to its seventh loss in its last 10.
Ryan Stanek is HEATED and letting the second base umpire hear it after being called for a balk earlier in the inning 😳 pic.twitter.com/FB5MmJpq4r
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 25, 2023
The Astros will try avoid being swept in the three-game series when Hunter Brown takes the mound against Tony Gonsolin on Sunday Night Baseball.
