Overview

• The pitch struck Salazar in the chest immediately after Valdez surrendered Trent Grisham’s grand slam in the fifth inning of a 7-1 loss to the Yankees in Houston.
• Valdez told reporters the hit was unintentional, apologized to Salazar, and said they spoke postgame and resolved the matter.
• Salazar said the stadium was loud, he pressed the wrong PitchCom button, and he was expecting a different pitch.
• Video and social media reactions questioned the intent of the play, but neither Valdez nor Salazar supported that speculation.
• Salazar is a seldom-used backup and Valdez is a veteran starter, and both said their working relationship remains good.