What appeared to be either a home run or a deep fly out turned out to be a long single for Astros outfielder Colby Rasmus in the bottom of the eighth inning on Sunday in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Royals.
With a runner on first base and no outs, Rasmus swatted a Luke Hochevar fastball to right field. Royals right fielder Alex Rios camped just in front of the warning track, then trotted in as the ball clanked off of the stadium roof. According to Minute Maid Park ground rules, if a ball strikes the roof while it is in fair territory, it is considered in play and fair. Had a Royals fielder been able to catch the ball, Rasmus could have been retired for an out. If the ball had struck the roof in foul territory, the ball would have been declared dead.
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Ultimately, the weird occurrence didn’t lead to any run-scoring, as Hochever was able to retire the next three Astro hitters he faced to escape the inning.
Rasmus finished 1-for-1 with three walks in the game. He’s batting .500 with three home runs, a double, six walks, and five RBI in 16 plate appearances in the post-season thus far.