Houston Astros' Dusty Baker Explains Delay Following ALCS Game 5 Ejection

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker explains why he refused to leave the field following his ejection in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series.

HOUSTON – As the umpire reconvened after several minutes of discussion at Globe Life Field, Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker sat on the bench and bided his time. 

Baker, a seasoned vet that's guided Houston to a pair of World Series appearances and a title last year, had been ejected following a benches-clearing altercation after Astros reliever Bryan Abreu drilled Texas Rangers outfielder Adolis García with a 98-mph fastball in the eighth inning. 

But Baker wasn't moving. Play had been put on hold for nearly 10 minutes, and the three-time NL Manager of the Year wasn't ready to enter the clubhouse. 

Everyone knows what happened next, as the Astros rallied for 5-4 comeback win in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series. But why didn't the 74-year-old skipper leave the premises?

Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia is held back by Astros left fielder Yordan Alvarez after being hit by a pitch in Game 5 of the ALCS / © Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

"My thought process is I wasn't ready to go because it shouldn't have happened in the first place," Baker said Saturday. "That was my thought process."

The umpires tried to get Baker to go. How did that exchange go?

"Well, they didn't say much," Baker said. "They kind of just turned around and said, 'He's not leaving.' Then they turned around and said they can't start until I leave."

Baker is wise beyond his years. So is Texas skipper Bruce Bochy, who intimated that Baker's slow-play actions played a factor in closer José Leclerc's control and mindset for the final three outs.

Leclerc, who had been outstanding this postseason prior to giving up the game-changing three-run home run to Jose Altuve, said the elongated wait didn't affect his timing. Bochy, however, vehemently disagreed. 

"It was a long one. It was taking too long, to be honest," Bochy said of the 25-minute stoppage. "The whole thing is a bunch of crap, to be honest, what happened there."

García gave Texas a 4-2 lead in the sixth with a three-run homer off Justin Verlander. In the eighth, Abreu walked Evan Carter and drilled García.

As the benches cleared, the Rangers star outfielder turned to catcher Martín Maldonado and later needed to be restrained by Astros' slugger and friend Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez and García grew up together in Cuba. 

"Players don't want to get into fights and skirmishes," Baker said.  "And most of these guys know each other. Especially Latin guys are closer than anybody.

"It happens. And you don't script it. It's a spontaneous, combustible reaction that gets out of control."

Friday's fiasco isn't the first time these two AL West clubs have dealt with drama at the plate. On July 26 in Houston, Alvarez was pegged after Alex Bregman smacked a three-run homer off Andrew Heaney in the first inning. Framber Valdez responded in the third by drilling second baseman Marcus Semien.

Blows and words were thrown from a ticked-off Texas roster over the next six frames. Semien hit a go-ahead, two-run dinger in the fourth and exchanged words with Maldonado at the plate. García would eventually put the game out of reach an inning later with a grand slam. 

Sparks flew in late July because of a plunk. Baker isn't expecting anything to be intentional, but tensions likely will reach scorching levels come first pitch Sunday evening. 

"I don't have no crystal ball," Baker said. "I mean, it's going to be what it's going to be. You have to wait and see, just like me. Like we don't script it, it just happens."

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