Framber Valdez finally breaks his silence on tense Astros moment

There was one moment that seemed to hang over the final month of Houston Astros 2025 campaign — the cross-up. Astros fans will remember that controversial incident last September when Framber Valdez, seemingly on purpose, threw a 93 mph pitch that struck catcher Cesar Salazar in his chest.

It was obvious — from Salazar's reaction — that whatever pitch Valdez threw was not the same one that the catcher was expecting. Moments earlier, Valdez gave up a grand slam to New York Yankees outfielder Trent Grisham after Salazar had requested his battery-mate to go through the signs again. This prompted many to assume Valdez was upset and Salazar and crossed him up on purpose.

In the aftermath, Astros manager Joe Espada called both Valdez and Salazar into his office, and it sounded as though both men buried the hatchet. Whatever happened behind closed doors was not divulged the public, at least not from Valdez.

Former Astros starter Framber Valdez finally breaks silence on infamous cross-up with Cesar Salazar

The lingering effects, however, seemed to haunt Valdez throughout free agency, with many pundits assuming that one moment caused several teams to take the left-hander off their board. In the end, however, Valdez got the last laugh after landing a three-year, $115 million deal with the Detroit Tigers.

The Tigers officially welcomed their new hurler to organization this week, and Valdez was asked about the infamous cross-up. MLive's Evan Woodbery offered a translation of Valdez's response. "I want fans to know that these things happen," Valdez said. "I got crossed up with the catcher, it was not intentional. It happened in a moment of adrenaline, a tense moment."

Valdez went on to say, "Salazar and I talked about it and we're good, thank God. It was simply something that happened. I apologized to him because it was something accidental in the middle of the game. That's simply what happened. It was not intentional. It was nothing personal. I feel good because everyone who knows me knows that it didn't happen that way, and Salazar knows too."

Valdez's response was predictable, and while still suspicious, Astros fans have no choice but to take him at his word. Valdez endured a rather tumultuous time in Houston during his final two seasons, and while fans will miss his on-field performance, they won't miss the drama that comes with it.