Astros beat the Padres 4-3 in 10 innings after Jose Altuve was ejected in wild scene in the 9th

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Moments after Jose Altuve was ejected for taking off his left cleat and sock trying to prove a point, his replacement, Grae Kessinger scored the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and then made a sensational play at second base to seal the Houston Astros' wild 4-3 win against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night.

Altuve grounded out to third for the final out of the ninth but insisted he had fouled the ball off his foot. In a crazy scene, he took off his cleat and sock, trying to show the umpires where the ball hit, which got him ejected by plate umpire Brennan Miller. Manager Joe Espada was tossed after continuing to argue.

“Sometimes you get hit somewhere in the hand and you take your batting glove to show you got hit. I was expecting to do the same thing,” Altuve said.

“It was going through my head that it can’t happen,” he added. “It’s the ninth inning, winning run on second base, I’m battling against a good pitcher, (Robert) Suarez, the closer, so I’m obviously trying to get a hit and drive the run in and win the game. I get a foul ball because it hit my foot and they just took it away from me. I don’t think that can happen. There are four guys on the field and you can see the change of direction on the ball. Just make the right call.”

Espada was still wound up afterward.

“It’s a foul ball,” the manager said. “You have to see the ball once he hits the foot, the flight of the ball. I don’t get it. I don’t understand. That’s twice this year. I have a lot of respect for the umpires. They work hard. But there are four out there. You have to be able to see it. They missed that call.”

Kessinger started the 10th as the automatic runner in place of Altuve, advanced on Yordan Alvarez’s groundout and scored on Kyle Tucker’s single to left off Adrian Morejon (2-2).

Astros reliever Héctor Neris loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the 10th before getting Manny Machado to ground into a force play on a terrific backhanded stop by Kessinger, who flipped the ball to shortstop Jeremy Peña to end it.

It was Kessinger’s first game with the Astros since July 13.

“Right before he hit it, I was thinking he’s going to hit a ball up the middle and it’s going to hit off the mound, and that’s exactly what happened. But go catch it. That’s the job,” Kessinger said.

He figured he was going to get into the game after Altuve was tossed.

“As he started to untie his shoe, I started to grab my glove. I didn’t know if I was the one that was going to be going in, but I didn’t know what he was doing, but I was just getting ready,” Kessinger said.

The Padres twice rallied to tie the game, first at 2-2 on Machado's 27th homer with one out in the sixth and at 3-3 in the eighth when Fernando Tatis Jr. scored on Josh Hader's two-out wild pitch.

Hader (8-7) came on to boos and was called for a pitch clock violation. After a lengthy delay it was announced there was no violation. Hader then threw a wild pitch that brought in Tatis.

Hader was with the Padres from the 2022 trade deadline through last year before leaving as a free agent. He drew the ire of San Diego fans when he said late last season that he was reluctant to get more than three outs.

Neris earned his 18th save.

The Padres failed to add to their wild-card lead over Arizona and remained 3 1/2 games behind Los Angeles in the NL West.

Machado admired his 405-foot homer for several seconds, tossed his bat aside and gestured toward the Padres’ dugout as he began his trot.

Last week, Machado broke Nate Colbert’s 50-year-old club record of 163 homers and now has 165 in his six seasons with the Padres.

Hunter Brown had retired nine straight batters before Tatis hit a leadoff single two batters ahead of Machado.

The Astros took a 3-2 lead in the eventful eighth. Alvarez doubled into the right-center gap with one out, advanced on a balk by Jason Adams while Kyle Tucker was batting and scored on Adams' wild pitch that put Alex Bregman on with a walk.

The Astros took a 2-0 lead in the fourth. Singles by Tucker and Bregman put runners on first and second before Jon Singleton lofted an opposite-field blooper to left for a run-scoring double. Jeremy Peña's groundout brought in Bregman.

Brown allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.

King struck out seven in seven innings. He was charged with two runs and five hits.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Astros: Placed OF Ben Gamel on the 10-day injured list with a broken left leg three days after he ran into the wall at Angel Stadium while making a running catch. Gamel will be out indefinitely. C César Salazar was recalled from Triple-A Sugar Land.

Padres: Luis Arraez was back at DH despite jamming a knee into home plate while being thrown out Monday night.

UP NEXT

Astros LHP Framber Valdez (14-6, 2.91 ERA) and Padres RHP Dylan Cease (13-11, 3.58 ERA) are scheduled to start on Wednesday.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, center, celebrates with teammate third baseman Grae Kessinger after the Astros defeated the San Diego Padres 4-3 in a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) celebrates with right fielder Jason Heyward after the Astros defeated the San Diego Padres 4-3 in a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez, right, runs into San Diego Padres relief pitcher Jason Adam, center, as he scores off a wild pitch during the eighth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Jurickson Profar reacts after getting hit by a pitch during the tenth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado throws to first too late as Houston Astros' Jose Altuve arrives for a single during the first inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros' Jose Altuve moves away from a high pitch while batting during the eighth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada, center, argues with home plate umpire Brennan Miller, right, as second baseman Jose Altuve looks on during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. Espada and Altuve were ejected after arguing a groundout by Altuve was fouled off his foot. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros' Jose Altuve reacts towards home plate umpire Brennan Miller, right, after taking his sock and shoe off during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. Altuve was ejected along with Astros manager Joe Espada after arguing a groundout by Altuve was fouled off his foot. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros' Jose Altuve points at his foot after taking his sock and shoe off during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. Altuve was ejected along with Astros manager Joe Espada after arguing a groundout by Altuve was fouled off his foot. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros' Jose Altuve points at his foot after taking his sock and shoe off during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. Altuve was ejected along with Astros manager Joe Espada after arguing a groundout by Altuve was fouled off his foot. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Houston Astros' Jon Singleton celebrates his RBI double during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado tips his hat to the crowd after receiving memorabilia to honor breaking the team record for all-time home runs as he stands alongside Casey Colbert, the the widow of former record holder Nate Colbert, before a baseball game against the Houston Astros Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado tosses his bat after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

San Diego Padres' Manny Machado celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Shreyas Iyer was provisionally named in India’s squad on Saturday for the home one-day international series against New Zealand starting Jan. 11.

India will host the Black Caps in a white-ball engagement — three ODIs and five T20s — in the build-up to the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Iyer returns to the international fold after sustaining a spleen injury during an ODI against Australia in Sydney last October.

His selection is subject to fitness clearance from BCCI’s medical team and he will return as India’s vice-captain for the three-match series.

Skipper Shubman Gill also returns, after he missed the ODI series against South Africa in December. He had a neck spasm in the test series earlier, and subsequently played in the T20s against the Proteas.

Ruturaj Gaikwad and Tilak Verma missed out. Gaikwad had scored a maiden ODI hundred against South Africa in Visakhapatnam.

Rishabh Pant is retained as second keeper-batter behind Lokesh Rahul, who had stood in as captain against the Proteas.

Star batters Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma had both participated in the domestic List A tournament — Vijay Hazare Trophy — and return to the international stage for the ODIs.

All-rounder Hardik Pandya is fit, but not sufficiently enough to bowl 10 overs in an ODI. Thus, he has been rested further ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup (in India and Sri Lanka) starting Feb. 7. Nitish Kumar Reddy is included in the squad.

Pacer Mohammed Siraj returns to lead the bowling lineup with Jasprit Bumrah rested again. Siraj had missed the South Africa series because of workload management.

The three ODIs will be played in Vadodara (Jan. 11), Rajkot (Jan. 14) and Indore (Jan. 18), with the five-match T20 series starting Jan. 21.

Squad: Shubman Gill (captain), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Washington Sundar, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Siraj, Harshit Rana, Prasidh Krishna, Kuldeep Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Arshdeep Singh, Yashasvi Jaiswal.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

FILE - Captain of Punjab Kings Shreyas Iyer addresses a news conference on the eve of the final match of Indian Premier League at Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, India, Monday, June 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)