WATCH: Astros’ Jose Altuve strips down, takes off shoe and sock to prove he was hit by pitch, and gets ejected

Houston Astros second baseman José Altuve was ejected for removing his cleat and sock in protest of a call in the top of the ninth inning of Tuesday’s game against the San Diego Padres. Altuve was attempting to show plate umpire Brennan Miller that a ball that was ruled fair — and that was turned into a ground out to end the top half of the frame in a tie game — had actually been fouled off his foot, and he had the mark to prove it.

However, Miller did not mock Altuve’s attempt at clarity, but instead ejected him from the contest, causing Altuve to be ejected for the second time this season (and third time in his career). Here’s how the scene played out:

Slow-motion replays shown on the Astros’ broadcast made it clear that the ball had hit Altuve’s toe area, vindicating his claim that the play should have been declared over and he should have been allowed to continue batting.

“It was a foul ball,” Altuve told reporters after the game. “It was obvious. I just wanted to bat at myself. [Robert] Suarez. I know he’s great, but I wanted to keep fighting against him.”

The Astros won 4–3 in the 10th inning when outfielder Kyle Tucker singled in a run against Adrián Morejón.

“It’s a foul ball,” Astros manager Joe Espada said. “You have to look at the ball as it hits the leg, the flight of the ball, what the ball does. I don’t understand it. It’s happened twice this year. I have a lot of respect for the umpires. They work hard. There’s four umpires out there. To me, you should be able to see it. They missed that play.”

The Astros, who are 82-69 this year, enter Wednesday with a five-game lead in the American League West.