Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Astros Outfielder's Bat Confiscated in Bizarre Moment Against Yankees

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Dave Ettinger | Last updated Sep 5, 2025 2:22 AM ET

The third and final game of this week's series between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros was anything but normal. With the two American League postseason hopefuls fighting for positioning, they had split the first two games of their final regular-season series of the year.

On Tuesday, the Yankees came away with a 7-1 win behind a strong performance from Max Fried. On Wednesday, the Astros escaped with an 8-7 victory after yet another Yankees bullpen implosion. However, Wednesday's game ended on a controversial strike-call with a displeased Jazz Chisholm Jr. yelling at home plate umpire, Brian Walsh.

The umpire's involvement would carry over to the rubber-match on Thursday. Walsh found himself in the center of controversy yet again, ruling what appeared to be a catch by Ryan McMahon a dropped ball. It didn't cost the Yankees in the long-run, as they came away with a much needed 8-4 victory.

MLB Removes Astros Bat From Game After Yankees' Request

Walsh and the crew of umpires' involvement in Thursday's game didn't stop there. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Yankees manager, Aaron Boone requested that the umpiring crew inspect Astros' outfielder, Taylor Trammell's bat. The ask came moments after Trammel mashed a double off Yankees' reliever, David Bednar.

Boone noticed a weird discoloration near the top of Trammell's bat, and in turn the umpires convened on the field with the bat. Ultimately, the bat was confiscated by an MLB official for a rules check to see if Trammell committed an infraction of some kind. The bizarre moment caused a lengthy delay with those involved left confused and bewildered.

Taylor Trammell's bat was confiscated after he doubled in the ninth inning pic.twitter.com/gttHtqgGwT
— Talkin' Yanks (@TalkinYanks) September 5, 2025

Following the game, Boone explained his thought process behind asking for the bat to be inspected.

“I don’t know if it was just natural or if it was, I don’t know and I don’t want to accuse Taylor. I’m not saying anything untoward or whatever. We noticed it on video while we were here and we mentioned it to the league and they said, ‘No, that looks like an illegal bat.’ That was it," Boone said.

Trammell, who played five games with the Yankees during the 2024 MLB season, gave his thoughts on the incident to reporters following Thursday's game.

“It’s actually ridiculous. I have no idea what really happened. I’ve had that bat since I’ve been here. I’ve had it for a long time. I usually take batting practice with it. I use it in games, I use it in Triple-A, use it every time I need. The only thing I just don’t have a gloss finish on my bat. It’s matte. Paint wears down. That’s what happened,” Trammell said.

Presumably, MLB officials will investigate the confiscated bat and make their findings public, however, as of early Friday, there has been no official word, or response from the league, regarding the situation.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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