Framber Valdez had a brutal inning that unraveled fast. With the bases loaded and a 2-0 lead, his catcher started frantically signaling for him to step off the mound. Valdez ignored it and threw a fastball anyway. Trent Grisham crushed it into the Crawford Boxes for a grand slam, flipping the score to 6-2. Grisham celebrated hard. Valdez was clearly frustrated. He barked that the catcher distracted him.
Things got stranger with the next pitch. Valdez appeared to cross up his catcher on purpose. The pitch nailed the catcher in the chest. There was no apology. Just a cold stare and a turn back to the mound. The catcher looked stunned. Volpe, standing at the plate, was caught in the middle and visibly confused. He tried to smooth things over, but Valdez wasn’t having it. The tension between pitcher and catcher was clear. All of this happened in the span of a couple pitches, shifting the momentum and exposing a serious communication breakdown.