Houston Astros: Jose Altuve becomes ninth player to hit three home runs in postseason game
By Brad Faber
The Houston Astros’ second baseman and AL MVP candidate etched his name into the record books on Thursday.
In Game 1 of the American League Division Series between the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox, Jose Altuve had a game to remember. Most are familiar with the success that Altuve has had over the past several seasons. However, when the Astros were last in the playoffs in 2015, he hit only .154/.185/.154 in six games against the New York Yankees and Kansas City Royals. He is off to a better start this time around.
Backed by a strong pitching performance by Justin Verlander, the Astros defeated the Red Sox by a score of 8-2 on Thursday. Altuve accounted for much of the offense himself, going 3-for-4 with three solo home runs. His first two home runs came against Red Sox ace Chris Sale, while the third came against reliever Austin Maddox.
Altuve, who has now racked up four 200-hit seasons in a row and won three batting titles in the past four years, has always been known for being an excellent contact hitter. However, despite being small in stature, he has also turned up the power in recent years. Back in 2015, he hit 15 home runs, marking the first double-digit home run season of his career. He has hit 24 home runs in each of the past two seasons.
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Accomplishing a rare feat
Altuve’s three home runs on Thursday were the first postseason homers of his career. He also joined a rather exclusive club. Per ESPN Stats & Info, Altuve’s three-homer game was just the 10th in playoff history. He was the ninth player to do it overall (Babe Ruth was able to accomplish the feat twice).
José Altuve with the 10th 3-HR game in postseason history. He's the second 2B to do it, and second straight Venezuelan-born player to do it. pic.twitter.com/h0tbwQZ6qv
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 5, 2017
Prior to Thursday, Pablo Sandoval was the most recent player to have hit three home runs in a postseason game. Sandoval’s three-homer performance occurred during Game 1 of the 2012 World Series, a game that happened to be started by Altuve’s now-teammate, Justin Verlander. Sandoval hit his first two homers against Verlander, with the third coming against then-Detroit Tigers reliever Al Alburquerque.
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After finishing third in the AL MVP voting last season, Altuve is widely considered to be one of the top contenders for the award this season. He finished the season second in the American League with a 7.5 fWAR, trailing only Yankees slugger Aaron Judge (8.2).