The Houston Astros' loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers featured a first for relief pitcher Ryne Stanek, though he wishes that that wasn’t the case. He was called for the first balk of his career, allowing the go-ahead run in an 8-7 defeat at Dodger Stadium. It was a brutal way for the Astros to allow the Dodgers to pull off a comeback win and tally their seventh loss over their previous nine games.

The Astros led 7-3 through six innings before the Dodgers sparked a comeback. David Peralta smacked a pinch-hit, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning off of Phil Maton. Stanek came in the following inning after Bryan Abreau walked three batters and allowed two to score. With the bases loaded, Stanek was called for a balk after stepping off of the pitcher's mound, allowing James Outman to put LA ahead.

After Stanek finished the inning without allowing another run, he screamed at second base umpire Junior Valentine, earning himself an ejection. The Astros could not believe the call and what transpired in the midst of a tight game, according to ESPN.

“I needed some kind of explanation because Stanek was going ballistic,” said Astros manager Dusty Baker, via ESPN. “Boy, that's a tough way to lose one.”

Ryne Stanek had pitched for over 320 regular-season innings with the Tampa Bay Rays, Miami Marlins and Astros before getting hit with a balk. The 31-year-old simply could not believe it when it happened. He explained after the game that his movement could not have been interpreted as a way to throw the batter off of his game.

“He said I moved my leg, which was pretty obvious because I stepped off the mound,” Stanek said, via ESPN. ”Beyond that, I wholeheartedly disagree. A balk is intentionally trying to deceive a runner. At what point was I trying to deceive a runner? I hadn't even come set yet. I literally was just stepping backwards…The move is beyond minor. I think that's a pretty drastic call to make considering that play right there the umpire decided the game.”

The Astros are in third place in the AL West. A loss of this nature surely doesn’t help as they try to find a way to start dominating again.