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Altuve and Carlos Correa opened the top of the 10th with back-to-back solo shots, but the Dodgers answered back with two runs in the bottom half of the inning. A two-run home run by George Springer in the top of the 11th was the deciding factor in a 7-6 Houston victory. With Houston leading the Yankees by one in Game 7 of the ALCS, Altuve helped spark a three-run fifth inning with a solo shot.
Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates with Alex Bregman #2 after hitting a three-run home run in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Minute Maid Park on October 29, 2017 in Houston. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros hits a home run against the Boston Red Sox in the eighth inning of Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Fenway Park on October 19, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. The Astros found themselves trailing the Red Sox 3-1 entering the bottom of the sixth in Game 1 of the ALCS, but Altuve changed that outlook with one swing of the bat. He hit a two-run blast to tie the game up, helping Houston go on to win 5-4. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros hits a home run in the fifth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Minute Maid Park on October 4, 2019 in Houston.
2021 ALCS Game 1 vs. Red Sox (No.
Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros hits a solo home run against Kyle Wright #30 of the Atlanta Braves during the fourth inning in Game Four of the World Series at Truist Park on October 30, 2021 in Atlanta. The Astros had a better result against the Rays in Game 5 of the 2019 ALDS, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first on their way to a series-clinching 6-1 victory. Altuve followed up a solo home run from Michael Brantley with one of his own in the bottom of the eighth, stretching Houston's lead to five. The 2020 ALCS wasn't a good one for the Astros in terms of capitalizing off Altuve home runs, as they dropped two out of the three games he went yard in. Houston was defeated 5-2 in Game 3, despite another first-inning smash from Altuve.
Altuve playoff home runs tend to coincide with Astros victories, with Houston going 16-5 in postseason games in which he goes deep. Game 3 of the 2019 ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays marked the most lopsided playoff loss during which the star second baseman has hit a home run, as the Astros were trampled 10-3 after Altuve put them up 1-0 early with a solo home run in the first inning. As the speculation about Altuve and the rest of the team spread this week, allegations about other players around Major League Baseball did as well. David Brosius, son of former MLB player and coach Scott Brosius, posted online that one of baseball’s best players, Mike Trout, was using a loophole that allowed him to take human growth hormone. Even the game’s legends aren’t safe, as a former Yankees pitcher claimed on sports radio that Hall of Fame manager Tony La Russa engaged in electronic sign-stealing in the eighties.
Appearances on Leaderboards, Awards, and Honors
The difference between their hitting numbers while playing at home compared to their numbers on the road are night and day. For instance, Altuve stole far more bases (32 to Judge's nine swiped bags) while the Baby Bomber had over ten more extra base hits than the Venezuelan (79 to Altuve's 67). It's possible that Judge's 208 strikeouts hurt his resume, but then again, he led the American League in walks and finished second in on-base percentage -- Altuve struck out far less but got on base less.
They were shut out on Friday and Saturday and had scored just two runs heading to the ninth inning Sunday. The Astros were staring a four-game losing streak heading into an All-Star break in which none of their four elected players, including Altuve, chose to play in Tuesday's All-Star Game. There might be more impactful individual home runs on Altuve's résumé, but it's tough to ignore the significance of his first postseason long ball. In addition to being a part of a three-home run performance, it kickstarted a postseason in which he hit seven home runs—which is tied for the sixth-most in MLB history. Tensions were high as the 2017 ALCS went back to Houston, with the Yankees taking a 3-2 series lead following three straight wins in New York. Altuve helped give the Astros some breathing room in Game 6, hitting a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth, giving them a three-run lead.
2017 ALDS Game 1 vs. Red Sox (No.
Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a solo home run off of Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning of game one of the American League Division Series on October 5, 2017 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Altuve gave the Astros their first lead of the 2019 postseason, hitting a two-run shot off the Rays in the bottom of the fifth to put Houston up 2-0 in Game 1 of the ALDS. Even when the Houston Astros were a historically bad baseball team early in his career, Jose Altuve served as a rare bright spot for a franchise that had nothing but the future to look forward to.
But it was the Astros who got the last laugh on Sunday when Altuve hit a dramatic three-run, walk-off homer to complete a stunning six-run rally in the ninth inning for an 8-7 win to send Houston into the All-Star break with a world of good vibes. It was an unsubstantiated but juicy storyline that carried into this weekend for the Yankees' first trip to Houston since Altuve ended their 2019 season. Yankees slugger Aaron Judge even trolled Altuve by tugging at his jersey while rounding the bases following his homer Saturday night. HOUSTON -- There was no way Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was escaping the field at Minute Maid Park on Sunday afternoon without having his jersey ripped off by his teammates.
Altuve's 22nd postseason HR 'means a lot'
The splits are equally as striking when taking a look at some individual Astros’ players’ home and road splits in the 2017 postseason. It was always fun for fans of each franchise to debate who deserved the Most Valuable Player Award more from that season, as it is every year. Just a few months ago, Mike Trout narrowly edged out Altuve's teammate Alex Bregman for the Award by just four first-place votes -- a hot topic around baseball leading up to and following the announcement. This week, however, a discussion as to who had the better year in 2017 has taken on a new meaning. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of game one of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox on October 5, 2017 at Minute Maid Park in Houston.
However, baseball fans may as well start calling for the Astros to be stripped of all the hardware they won back in 2017, including their World Series trophy even Jose Altuve's MVP award. In the meantime, the MLB has reportedly expanded their investigation into the Astros allegedly stealing pitching signs in their 2017 World Series win against the Dodgers. As Correa has tried to instill Altuve’s mindset into himself and other players in the Astros' clubhouse, manager Dusty Baker had a simpler explanation for Altuve’s ability to bounce back after poor offensive nights. He actually hit worse at home, do perhaps it was only a select group of Astros players who decided to participate in the alleged cheating. Interestingly, one of the players who claims to have known nothing about any sign-stealing is Carlos Beltran.
After all, it was Altuve' three-run, go-ahead homer in the eighth inning on May 6 -- also off Chad Green -- at Yankee Stadium that avoided a sweep and sparked the Astros to a surge into the All-Star break. Maldonado, who pulled down his jersey before touching home following his second-inning homer Sunday in response to Judge, said it was the best game of the regular season to date. Altuve's dramatic homer -- his 20th of the season -- only added to his Astros legacy, which includes a Most Valuable Player Award, seven selections to the All-Star Game and that series-clincher over the Yanks in 2019. Those who have played with him admire him as much as any player they've met, and they had no doubt he was going to come through again in the clutch. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the 10th inning of Game 2 of the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 25, 2017 in Los Angeles.
There have been more critical home runs by Altuve in the postseason, given that the Astros already led by four when he came to the plate in the bottom of the seventh of Game 2 of the 2021 World Series. Nonetheless, it's still a home run in the Fall Classic, and one that served as the final score in a 7-2 Houston victory. While it didn't come in a Houston victory, the fact that it occurred during a close World Series matchup puts this one ahead of some of the others from winning efforts. Altuve put the Astros up 2-0 with a solo home run in the top of the fourth, but they didn't score again in a 3-2 loss.
From an investigation proving wrongdoing, to hearsay and rumors on the internet, the bottom line is that Houston's players were found guilty of taking an illegal competitive advantage in 2017. Therefore, each and every offensive performance by those in an Astros uniform over the course of that campaign are worthy of a second look. He led the league in several offensive categories, guiding the Astros to 101 wins in the regular season (third-best in all of baseball).
Heading into the 2022 ALCS, Altuve ranks second all-time with 23 postseason home runs (and tops in first-inning playoff blasts). He trails only Manny Ramirez, who hit a record 29 bombs in his playoff career. Many homes have a game room, but few rival the one in this house, with a wall-size glass case filled with Altuve’s trophies and the sports memorabilia he has collected.
2020 ALCS Game 1 vs. Rays (No.
Based on those numbers, it sure seems like Judge had the better season, right? The only department in which Altuve produced superior numbers, besides a tie in WAR, was batting average. When Altuve rounded third and headed for home, he became lost in a sea of his teammates -- only to emerge without a shirt and a huge smile on his face. Altuve said after the 2019 walk-off to eliminate the Yankees that his wife didn't want to see him shirtless on the field. Down 7-2 heading to the ninth, the Astros posted their first win when trailing by five or more runs in the ninth inning since July 25, 1980 (and the first ended on a walk-off hit since July 24, 1978). Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning in Game Two of the World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 27, 2021 in Houston.
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