HOUSTON – The legend of José Altuve grows every time the Venezuelan reaches the plate. He has made a name for himself and forged a career making people look bad, rising to the challenge in the biggest moments and on the biggest stages. So what second baseman did Tuesday shouldn’t have been a surprise.
On a night when the Astros honored him on the 10th anniversary of his major league debut, Altuve electrified the crowd with home runs in each of his first two at-bats in Houston’s win over Cleveland. Plus, he made a spectacular catch.
“The game (on Tuesday) was another dream come true,” Altuve said. “Ten years in the majors and we won the game. Everything today was quite good and I am quite happy ”.
Considered one of the top three offensive players in Astros history — along with Hall of Famers Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell — Altuve made his major league debut for Houston on July 20, 2011 and is still strong a decade later.
“I thought it was wonderful,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said of what happened Tuesday. “He was obviously energized by the fact that it was his 10th year. It was a great tribute (with a video) before the game and then he homered in his first two at-bats. That was a great way to celebrate the 10th anniversary in the majors. I think the fans value him and he values the fans. This is your city ”.
Altuve started the day with his seventh starting home run this season, a 398-foot hit, according to Statcast. In the third inning, he hit another homerun that hit the left-field post, a 357-foot hit.
“He’s a pretty incredible player,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I don’t care how high it is or not. He is a very good player and has been for a long time. I don’t like to see him beat us like this, but he is good at the game ”.
Altuve added: “I think the last three or four days, there have been a lot of emotions. It is not easy to reach 10 years. It is one thing to dream of playing 10 years in the Major Leagues and another is to make it happen. Yes, it is special for me and it means a lot, especially in this team with the teammates and the fans ”.
Baker, who has been with some of the best players of the past 50 years as a teammate and manager, praised Altuve highly.
“I don’t think he gets enough credit for his ability to hit every pitch,” he said. That’s the thing. You can hit one ball above your head and another six inches off the ground. This guy has tremendous plate coverage. And find the barrel of the bat as good as any you’ve ever seen. If you ask the opposition, I am sure they will give you a lot of credit. He is a great player, a tremendous player. One of the best I’ve been with, one of the best I’ve seen ”.
Altuve began his career 10 years ago with a seven-game hitting streak and has amassed 1,703 hits since that debut, 178 more than any other hitter in that span. (The Braves’ Freddie Freeman is 1,525). That includes 155 homers, 22 of which were in 2021. He is now nine off his career high of 31 in 2019.
“You have to see it every day to appreciate it,” said Baker. “It’s the things he does. He is a quality person, a great teammate and everyone respects him. He’s a quiet leader on this team. It has that. His stats don’t count everything he means to this team and what he means to this city. “
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