CLEVELAND, Ohio — Baseball’s unwritten rules and equipment controversies are providing as much drama as the playoff races themselves. In Houston, the Astros are no strangers to controversy and find themselves at the center of two bizarre incidents that have major league observers reminiscing about one of the most infamous equipment scandals in MLB history.

The first eyebrow-raising moment came when Astros pitcher Framber Valdez appeared to intentionally hit his own catcher, César Salazar, with a fastball after being crossed up on signs.

“Valdez crossed up Salazar, hit him with a fastball right in the chest protector. A lot of people saw the video and said it’s pretty obvious that he did it on purpose,” Joe Noga explained on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast .

The incident occurred a

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