Yankees fume over controversial calls in brutal loss to Astros

HOUSTON — On a night they squandered a three-run lead in a crushing 8-7 loss, the Yankees felt like they were facing two opponents: the Astros and the umpires. 

Multiple Yankees were still fuming after the game about home plate umpire Brian Walsh, whose inconsistent strike zone they thought cost them in the Astros’ four-run bottom of the eighth against Devin Williams and Camilo Doval and again in the top of the ninth, when Jazz Chisholm Jr. struck out looking at a pitch outside the zone to end the game. 

“I think our guys made a lot of really good pitches tonight and didn’t get rewarded for it,” catcher Austin Wells said. “That’s frustrating. It feels like it’s been two nights in a row for us. But the only thing we’re going to do is stick to the plan and keep going. I think more times than not, we’ll come out on the other side. We go back and watch video, try to get better. I hope those guys [the umpires] are going to do the same.” 

The mounting frustration from what the Yankees thought were blown calls led to the ejection of Williams and manager Aaron Boone. 

But then there was another issue after Doval replaced Williams. Following a single by the first batter he faced to make it a 6-4 game, Doval balked in another run after not coming set long enough with the pitch clock winding down. 

“It’s amazing how much I ask for that balk call and never get it screaming from the [dugout],” Boone said. 

Then in the same at-bat against Yordan Alvarez, he stepped off the mound while having more issues with his PitchCom device, which led to the umpires hitting him with a disengagement (rather than allowing him to work through the problem, which umpires often do). 

“With Camilo, he doesn’t speak great English,” Wells said. “We only have one PitchCom that really works with just Spanish. The umpires seemed to not — I don’t know if he didn’t care or what the deal was, but he said he gave us a chance to fix it the first time we went out there and then decided it was a disengagement. We were trying to explain to him our case. He said we were lucky we didn’t get a violation and that it was just a step off.” 

Wells, who along with bench coach Brad Ausmus (acting as manager after Boone had been tossed) pleaded with Walsh and crew chief Adrian Johnson, to no avail. That the umpires essentially told Wells the Yankees got off easy did not sit well with the catcher. 

“Just felt like that’s kind of the attitude that was given towards us throughout the night and throughout [Tuesday],” Wells said. 

José Caballero was ejected from Tuesday’s game for arguing with home plate umpire Ramon De Jesus, who gave him a quick hook. After Boone was ejected Wednesday, he got his money’s worth with Walsh and Johnson and then motioned towards De Jesus at third base before finally heading into the dugout. 

“I just think [Luke Weaver] and Devin, [Walsh] missed some calls there, and then obviously the one to end the game was pretty tough,” Will Warren said. “I think Jazz made a good decision to take that. It is what it is. We just got to find a way to win.”