All praise for Jose Altuve as Houston Astros star turns 33: "He never cheated once and was disgustingly ridiculed for absolutely nothing"

Jose Altuve may represent one of the greatest sports success stories of all time. Although the Houston Astros star has encountered his fair share of detractors, he remains vindicated by the vast majority of fans.

Born in Maracay, Venezuela, Altuve grew up playing street ball. After getting married at the age of 16, he worked tirelessly to pursue his dream of making it to the MLB.

Time and time again, Jose Altuve was told by MLB tryout camps in his home country that his 5-foot-6 frame all but disqualified him from MLB consideration. Nevertheless, his determination eventually caused the Houston Astros to take notice, and sign the then-17 year old to a $15,000 bonus in 2007.

Over the next decade-and-a-half, Altuve gradually rose to become one of the most recognizeable players in baseball. The second baseman has been an MLB All-Star in eight of his twelve MLB seasons, won the 2017 AL MVP Award, and was instrumental in leading his team to World Series glory in 2017 and 2022.

"OH MY GOD THERE’S THE BUZZER!!! JOSE ALTUVE IS A CHEATER. STRIP THE HOUSTON ASTROS OF THEIR TITLE IMMEDIATELY" - Jimmy Randazzo

After the league broke news of its investigation into the 2018 Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, Altuve was immediately identified as a prime suspect. His walk-off home run during the 2019 ALCS against the New York Yankees in which Altuve appeared to be concealing a wire as he rounded the bases.

Despite it all, the MLB's in-depth investigation into the sign-stealing scandal found that Jose Altuve had nothing to do with the skullduggery.

On May 6, which is Altuve's 33rd birthday, Houston Astros analyst Bonda posted a tribute to Jose Altuve on his Twitter account. In the post, Bonda shamed Altuve's doubters as he affirmed Altuve's innocence.

"Today is Jose Altuve’s 33rd Birthday. It’s also a fantastic day to remind everyone of the fact that he never cheated once and was disgustingly ridiculed by the baseball world for absolutely nothing. Shame to all of his detractors." - Bonda

While no charges were ever laid against him, Altuve continues to encounter hostility at visiting ballparks to this very day. New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers fans feel a particular animous towards Altuve as those two teams served as prime victims of the 2017 cheating scandal.

Jose Altuve is poised to be just as big a part of his team's future as it's past

Between the Astros' championships in 2017 and 2022, several variables changed. Players such as Carlos Correa, Brian McCann, and George Springer were replaced by names like Jeremy Pena, Framber Valdez, and Kyle Tucker.

Although he began this season on the IL, Altuve has been, and will continue to be, one of his team's most timeless features. Regardless of what detractors may say, he will go down as one of the best Astros ever.