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)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Ahn Sung-ki, one of South Korean cinema’s biggest stars whose prolific 60-year career and positive, gentle public image earned him the nickname “The Nation’s Actor,” died Monday. He was 74.

Ahn, who had suffered blood cancer for years, was pronounced dead at Seoul's Soonchunhyang University Hospital, his agency, the Artist Company, and hospital officials said.

“We feel deep sorrow at the sudden, sad news, pray for the eternal rest of the deceased and offer our heartfelt condolences to his bereaved family members," the Artist Company said in a statement.

President Lee Jae Myung issued a condolence message saying Ahn provided many people with comfort, joy and time for reflection. “I already miss his warm smile and gentle voice,” Lee wrote on Facebook.

Born to a filmmaker in the southeastern city of Daegu in 1952, Ahn made his debut as a child actor in the movie “The Twilight Train” in 1957. He subsequently appeared in about 70 movies as a child actor before he left the film industry to live an ordinary life.

In 1970, Ahn entered Seoul’s Hankuk University of Foreign Studies as a Vietnamese major. Ahn said he graduated with top honors but failed to land jobs at big companies, who likely saw his Vietnamese major largely useless after a communist victory in the Vietnam War in 1975.

Ahn returned to the film industry in 1977 believing he could still excel in acting. In 1980, he rose to fame for his lead role in Lee Jang-ho’s “Good, Windy Days,” a hit coming-of-age movie about the struggle of working-class men from rural areas during the country’s rapid rise. Ahn won the best new actor award in the prestigious Grand Bell Awards, the Korean version of the Academy Awards.

He later starred in a series of highly successful and critically acclaimed movies, sweeping best actor awards and becoming arguably the country’s most popular actor in much of the 1980-90s.

Some of his memorable roles included a Buddhist monk in 1981’s “Mandara,” a beggar in 1984’s “Whale Hunting,” a Vietnam War veteran-turned-novelist in 1992’s “White Badge,” a corrupt police officer in 1993’s “Two Cops,” a murderer in 1999’s “No Where To Hide,” a special forces trainer in 2003’s “Silmido” and a devoted celebrity manager in 2006’s “Radio Star.”

Ahn had collected dozens of trophies in major movie awards in South Korea, including winning the Grand Bell Awards for best actor five times, an achievement no other South Korean actors have matched yet.

Ahn built up an image as a humble, trustworthy and family-oriented celebrity who avoided major scandals and maintained a quiet, stable personal life. Past public surveys chose Ahn as South Korea’s most beloved actor and deserving of the nickname “The Nation’s Actor.”

Ahn said he earlier felt confined with his “The Nation's Actor” labeling but eventually thought that led him down the right path. In recent years, local media has given other stars similar honorable nicknames, but Ahn was apparently the first South Korean actor who was dubbed “The Nation's Actor.”

“I felt I should do something that could match that title. But I think that has eventually guided me on a good direction,” Ahn said in an interview with Yonhap news agency in 2023.

In media interviews, Ahn couldn’t choose what his favorite movie was, but said that his role as a dedicated, hardworking manger for a washed-up rock singer played by Park Jung-hoon resembled himself in real life the most.

Ahn was also known for his reluctance to do love scenes. He said said he was too shy to act romantic scenes and sometimes asked directors to skip steamy scenes if they were only meant to add spice to movies.

“I don’t do well on acting like looking at someone who I don’t love with loving eyes and kissing really romantically. I feel shy and can’t express such emotions well,” Ahn said in an interview with the Shindonga magazine in 2007. “Simply, I’m clumsy on that. So I couldn’t star in such movies a lot. But ultimately, that was a right choice for me.”

Ahn is survived by his wife and their two sons. A mourning station at a Seoul hospital was to run until Friday.

FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki smiles for a photo on the red carpet at the 56th Daejong Film Awards ceremony in Seoul, South Korea, June 3, 2020. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)

FILE - South Korean actor Ahn Sung-ki attends an event as part of the 11th Pusan International Film Festival in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 13, 2006. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)