The Houston Astros are up 2-0 in their American League Division Series against the Seattle Mariners, and they have Yordan Alvarez to thank.
The Astros looked destined to drop both games if it weren’t for Alvarez’s heroics, particularly in Game 1 when he turned a two-run deficit into a one-run victory with a walk-off three-run blast.
On Thursday, Alvarez’s blast came with Houston down 2-1 and with one runner on base to flip the score to 3-2 in favor of the Astros.
They would later add another run when Alex Bregman, with an RBI single, made Seattle pay for intentionally walking Alvarez.
A Historic ALDS Performance For The Talented Alvarez
You could very well say that the Astros’ slugger has made history with his performance in the first two games of the series.
“Yordan Alvarez is the first player in MLB postseason history with multiple career go-ahead HR in the 6th inning or later when his team was trailing, each of his coming in his last 2 games off of Robbie Ray and Luis Castillo,” ESPN Stats & Info tweeted.
Yordan Alvarez is the first player in MLB postseason history with multiple career go-ahead HR in the 6th inning or later when his team was trailing, each of his coming in his last 2 games off of Robbie Ray and Luis Castillo. pic.twitter.com/CjGJRR4o0y
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 13, 2022
Every time the Mariners’ pitching staff has a lead, they should be very, very careful when facing Alvarez.
In the regular season, he slashed a strong .306/.406/.613 with 37 home runs, 95 runs, 97 RBI, and 6.6 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) coming almost exclusively from his offensive contributions.
In the ALDS, Alvarez is hitting .500/.556/1.375 with two homers, a double, three runs and seven RBI…in two games.
He is, without a question, the Astros’ best hitter, which is quite an accomplishment given the organization’s overall offensive excellence.
The Astros have scored 12 runs in the ALDS, and Alvarez has been responsible for driving in more than half of them.
