Troy Caldwell, the Astros fan who might have inadvertently cost Houston a two-run home run in ALCS Game 4, told reporters he is perplexed by the umpire's call, and his sudden notoriety.
Caldwell, who lives in Atlanta, traveled to Houston for the game and was sitting in the right-field bleachers in the first inning when Jose Altuve hit a drive to the wall. Boston right-fielder Mookie Betts leaped and it appeared he might have a play on the ball just beyond the wall, but it bounced off Caldwell's hands. Replays seemed to show the ball was beyond the wall, meaning Caldwell had a right to catch it.
Right-field umpire Joe West immediately ruled fan interference, however, and his call was upheld upon review. And like it or not, Caldwell was a fan who became instantly famous for the wrong reason, ala Jeffrey Maier in the 1996 ALCS and Steve Bartman in the 2003 NLCS.
Caldwell told the Houston Chronicle during the game, “I’m going to need security to escort me out of here if the Astros don’t come back to win this."
Astros fan Troy Caldwell on the controversial fan interference call: "I promise you I didn't do anything wrong." https://t.co/Isourh0StG via @houstonchron
— Matt Young (@Chron_MattYoung) October 18, 2018
“I don’t understand even what happened,” Caldwell told the Boston Globe. “I was over the line and the ball hit — I had my hands out, you can see it. I got like 800 pictures that already came to me — but I’m over the line and I put my hand out and the ball hit my hand. I never touched his glove. I don’t understand why it wasn’t a home run.”
Caldwell told the Chronicle he didn't even realize the play was that big a deal, until friends started bombarding him with calls, texts and videos of his brush with history.
The Astros went on to fall 8-6, meaning Caldwell's inadvertent interference may be long remembered.
"I promise you I didn't do anything wrong," Caldwell told the Chronicle.