Houston Astros: Declaring October 5th, Alex Bregman Day
Once again, Alex Bregman has hit a postseason home run on October 5th for the Houston Astros.
For the fourth-straight year, Houston Astros third baseman Alex Bregman has hit a home run on October 5th in a Divisional Series contest. Also for the fourth-straight year, the Houston Astros have won an ALDS game.
It may not be as monumental as the first radio broadcast of a World Series game (1921) or President Harry Truman delivering the first televised White House address (1947), but as far as postseason baseball goes, we can declare October 5th the day of Alex Bregman.
Bregman’s solo home run in the fourth inning (more irony), was part of a three-run inning for Houston, who would go on to take game one of the 2020 ALDS from the Oakland A’s by a score of 10-5.
Bregman’s streak started back in 2017 when the Astros infielder hit a first-inning, solo home run off Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale en route an 8-2 Astros win in game one of the 2017 ALDS.
Bregman made it back-to-back October 5th jacks with another solo in 2018, this one-off then Cleveland Indians pitcher Corey Kluber. His home run broke a 0-0 tie in the fourth inning, an eventual 7-2 win for Houston who would go on to sweep the series before falling to the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS.
The streak continued last season in game two of the 2019 ALDS against Tampa Bay. Bregman hit, you guessed it, a solo home run off Blake Snell in the fourth inning to give Houston a 1-0 lead. The Astros won the game 3-1, dropping the next two games before securing a series-clinching 6-1 win in game five of the series. Bregman drove in two in that contest.
Say what you will about the Houston Astros and those involved in the cheating scandal, but homering on the same day in four-straight years is still a pretty cool stat to see.
As with most Houston Astros hitters in 2020, the numbers weren’t as great this year for Alex Bregman, compared to previous seasons, but the two-time All-Star still slashed .242/.350/.451 with six home runs, 12 doubles, and a 122 wRC+ in 42 games. Most importantly, he’s doing what he does best in the postseason.
The Astros now lead the Oakland A’s 1-0 in their best-of-five series, with game two scheduled for Tuesday at 4:30 pm.