'Nothing against him' Jose Altuve on fan interference call that may have cost Astros the game
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The fan at the center of the controversial ruling that may have cost the Houston Astros a critical game 4 tie against the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night has certainly said how he feels about the matter.
"I never touched (Mookie Betts) glove, I can guarantee you that. But I definitely touched the ball," Troy Caldwell said to ESPN.
But what does Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, the player who thought he for sure had a tying home run, or at least a double, when Caldwell reached for the ball, have to say?
"When I hit the ball, I was expecting the ball to go out. For a moment, I saw the ball on the warning track, and I thought, 'that's a double.' It wasn't even a double, it was an out," Altuve told reporters after the 8-6 loss.
YOU DECIDE: Was this fan interference?
In the bottom of the first inning, Altuve hit a fly ball toward the right center fence for a possible two-run home run to tie the game with Boston.
Red Sox outfielder Betts leaped toward the wall to try to catch it, but umpire Joe West ruled that the fans reaching for the ball interfered. That meant Altuve was out.
West told a pool reporter the ball had not crossed the top of the wall when "the spectator reached out of the stands and hit him over the playing field and closed his glove."
Betts, one of the best defenders in the majors, said he had it all the way.
"That was a ball I could catch. I'm 100 percent positive I was going to be able to catch that one," Betts said.
"I jumped and went over, reached my hand up, I felt like somebody was kind of pushing my glove out of the way or something," he added.
READ: How the MLB defines Spectator Interference
"I normally don't get mad about an umpire's call. That one I was a little upset," Altuve admitted.
The call also drew the ire of fans who at one point booed.
But were those rants aimed at Caldwell? He's become the main face of the incident as shots from different angles and photos show him in the orange shirt among the many other fans with hands outstretched.
As he claimed earlier, he touched the ball. There wasn't even evidence to overturn the initial call, so it stood.
After the game, Caldwell had a few more thoughts to offer, saying that "the Astros should have stepped up."
WATCH: Astros fan who interfered talks to ABC13
Though Houston dropped the game, putting them in a must-win situation in game 5 of the AL Championship Series Thursday night, Altuve says he doesn't blame Caldwell for going for it.
"As a fan, I would do the same thing. You try to catch the ball. I don't have anything against him. He's another Astros fan rooting for us, I appreciate he was trying to help me," Altuve said.
Caldwell says he's a lifelong Astros fan who now lives in Atlanta.
"As long as the Astros come back and win this, we'll be all right," Caldwell said during the game.
They didn't, and now are facing elimination.
"It was a clear home run. Gotta get the call right." Astros players on the interference ruling
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
