Baseball has given us enough reasons to smile and cry. But sometimes, things happen in MLB that spark outrage among fans. That’s exactly what happened during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Houston Astros. In the first inning, Padres star Luis Arraez suffered a major injury that sent him off the field. What really happened?

Mauricio Dubón of the Houston Astros and Luis Arraez collided at first base during Sunday night’s game between the two teams. Arraez was taken off the field following the collision and was seen being stretchered off, despite the Padres defeating the Astros 3-2. Now, fans are angry—some even blaming the Astros for doing it intentionally. But is that true?

The incident occurred when the Astros’ first baseman attempted to field the ball, and Mauricio Dubón (playing second base) tried to cover first. At the same time, Arraez reached the base, resulting in a collision. The three-time batting champion fell hard to the ground and was rushed to a nearby hospital. The Padres released a quick update, stating: “Luis Arraez has been transported to Houston Methodist Hospital for further evaluation. He is currently stable, conscious, responsive, and able to move his extremities.”

Thankfully, the injury wasn’t as serious as it initially appeared. The update brought relief to Padres fans. Luis Arraez has been batting .287 this season, with three home runs and seven RBIs.

And Dubón was visibly concerned too; he made it clear it wasn’t on purpose, and his thoughts were with Arraez. He checked in on Arraez at the hospital and explained that he saw the collision coming but had nowhere to go. “I stayed on the bag, braced for impact, and shut my eyes,” he said, recalling the scary moment. Seeing Arraez motionless shook him, especially since, as he put it, “I’m not a dirty player.” With no room to maneuver, Dubón felt helpless and feared he’d take the brunt of the hit himself. Even so, fans are still criticizing the Astros, claiming the play was either careless or deliberate.

Yes, fans are quick to label any questionable play by the Astros as shady. They reminisce about that whole cheating mess from 2017 and 2018, where they were caught using video feeds and tech to steal signs. So now, the second anything feels off, fans are like, “Here we go again.” That reputation’s hard to shake.

Astros’ collision incident with Padres star sparks fan frenzy

Right after the Padres’ star Luis Arraez was hospitalized, the news spread like wildfire, with fans flooding social media with their criticism of the Astros. One X user wrote, “Common Astros playing dirty smh.” To be fair, the Astros were known for cheating, and there have been several instances where they used unconventional tactics to gain an advantage. Be it the use of an internal database and decoding signs of catchers or engaging in schemes to win the games.

Another user on X clearly mentioned that Mauricio Dubon shouldn’t have blocked Arraez, which could have avoided the collision. “Dubon needed to get out of the way,” he said. However, it cannot be denied that it was somewhat impossible for Dubon to get out of the way, given that he was trying to get the ball thrown by Christian Walker.

A similar response came from another fan, who commented, “Why does he get in the way? It looked intentional to me.” For him, it seemed intentional, and that’s why the Astros are being blamed.

Things got more serious when a Padres well-wisher said, “Bro, the Astros player did not need to do that. s—y f–king franchise,” putting the entire blame on Dubon. But a question remains: should Dubon have allowed Arraez to reach first base to score?

Finally, a sensible comment came from another user, who wrote, “What kind of second baseman thinks that’s how you cover first? Someone at least fine this guy.” The user asked MLB to impose a fine on him for an act that could have seriously injured Arraez. He even questioned the way Dubón was covering first base, which shouldn’t have happened.

While the chatter continues about who is right or wrong, let’s hear it from you—what action do you think MLB should take?