'It definitely was not his fault': Mother-daughter duo recall Altuve's potential homer in Game 4

HOUSTON – Across Houston and the nation, people couldn't stop talking about the controversial call during Game 4 of the American Championship League Series.

In the first inning of the game Wednesday night, Jose Altuve hit a pop-up ball that looked like a home run.

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The ball appeared to go into the stands, where fans were trying to grab it.

But, ultimately, the umpire, Joe West, ruled it fan interference.

“You can see in the picture, I’m very excited because I thought it was a home run and cheering, and then they call it back and I was, like, deflated,” said Astros fan Annemarie Howard.

She and her mother, Susan Brown, have had season tickets for the past two years and attended Game 4 on Wednesday night.

They were in the second row of section 152, right behind the fan who was caught up in the play debacle.

“On the controversial play, you could see Mookie Betts' glove come over the yellow line and, when he smacked against the wall, that closed his glove and all the gentleman, all their hands were behind the yellow line and all going for that wonderful Altuve home run,” said Susan Brown.

The fan "was very heartbroken and we were heartbroken for him. He felt like he made a big difference for the series, like it could be negative for the Astros."

Brown and Howard said they didn't fault the guy and that they too had been trying to catch the ball initially.

“I saw the ball coming at us and I thought, 'I don’t have a glove.

I have to have my hat ready to catch it,'” Howard said. “The ball kind of curved at the last minute.”

“It was a natural reaction. You’re so involved in a game and you see the ball coming towards you. It actually came towards my daughter and then it curved a little bit to the right,” said Brown.

The mother-daughter duo said they, along with others in their section, tried to console the fan.

“We encouraged him and told him, 'No, it was just a missed call,'” Brown said.

Brown, who grew up in Red Sox Nation, said she moved to Houston in 1966 and turned her allegiance to the Astros.

“Loving both teams, I can definitely say it was a home run and he did nothing wrong,” said Brown.

The fan "was really down, and worried,” said Howard. “It definitely was not his fault.”

Now, all eyes are on Game 5, a must-win for the Astros.

“Saying some prayers, hoping that they can just shake it off, get over what happened last night and go for it tonight and get the W,” said Howard.