In Tuesday night’s Houston Astros game in San Diego, former Ole Miss Rebels infielder Grae Kessinger was used on both sides of the field after replacing the Astros’ star second baseman Jose Altuve following a bizarre ejection.

In the ninth inning, Altuve was tied 1-1 with a runner on second base and two outs against flamethrower Robert Suarez. Suarez threw a 100-mph fastball that Altuve seemingly bowled to third baseman Manny Machado for the final out of the ninth inning.

However, Altuve made no attempt to run to first base, instead claiming he hit the ball of his foot, which would have resulted in a dead foul ball. Altuve was so convinced the ball bounced off his foot that while Astros manager Joe Espada was talking to the home base umpire, he took off not only his cleat but also his sock and pointed at it, trying to show the home base umpire where he hit it.

Altuve was immediately ejected from the field for his actions.

Although the Astros lost their All-Star second baseman, they were in safe hands with Kessinger, who filled Altuve’s spot perfectly.

With Altuve being the last out in the ninth inning, Kessinger was the runner on second base at the start of the tenth inning, where he quickly advanced to third base on a ground ball to first base by Yordan Alvarez and scored just a few pitches later on a bloop single by Kyle Tucker, giving the Astros a 4-3 lead.

Although that run was important, Kessinger made arguably the most important play of the game on defense in the bottom of the 10th inning. After a questionable decision against Jurikson Profar, closer Hector Neris found himself in a situation with the bases loaded.

That set the stage for superstar Manny Machado. On a 1-2 pitch, Machado hit a hard-hit ground ball up the middle. But Kessinger slid in and saved the game, making an incredible backhand pick and a perfect flip to second base to secure a 4-3 victory in 10 innings.

With the win, the Astros improved their record to 82-69 and moved five games ahead of the second-place Mariners in the race for their fourth consecutive division title.

Kessinger, the former Ole Miss player, is in his second season with the club but does not yet qualify for a full rookie season. He appeared in 26 games in Houston last season and has spent most of this year in Triple A Sugar Land.