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It was to be a duel of the Cubans as Yordan Alvarez stepped up to face Rangers reliever Aroldis Chapman in the eighth inning of Game 2. After the Rangers took an early lead in the second game of the ALCS, the Astros battled back to make it 5-3.
It was then that Yordan Alvarez got into the box for his third at-bat of the game. Having already hit his league-best sixth homer of the postseason earlier in the match, everyone in Minute Maid Park had their eyes on Yordan. On a first pitch fastball, Alvarez took his countryman high and deep to left, making it a 5-4 ballgame.
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Yordan Alvarez has been on an absolute tear for the Houston Astros this postseason. In addition to leading in playoff home runs, the 26-year old is hitting .391/.440/.1.261 with an OPS over 1.700. With six homers in five games, Alvarez has been putting his team on his back.
The same cannot be said for Aroldis Chapman. Once famous for throwing the fastest pitch in modern baseball, the 35-year old appears to be on the decline. Having started the season with the Kansas City Royals, Chapman was moved to the Rangers at the August trade deadline. In their replies to Alvarez' moonshot, many comments seemed to be trashing Chapman.
Although Yordan Alvarez missed a big portion of the season to injury, he was still able to compete in 114 games for the Astros. In 2023, Alvarez hit .293/.407/.583 with 31 home runs and 97 RBIs, gaining his second All-Star nod in as many seasons. Now, trailing by a score of 5-4 in the ninth, Astros fans will be looking to Yordan for a way to even the series against the Texas Rangers.
Yordan Alvarez was made for October baseball
Over 11 playoff series in his career, Alvarez owns a slashline of .261/.366/.511 with 12 home runs and 34 RBIs. Since signing with the Astros after leaving Cuba in 2019, Alvarez has seen postseason baseball in all but one campaign. Moreover, his twelfth career homer places him first on the all-time leaderboard for playoff home runs by a Cuban-born player. If the Astros are able to battle back and even the series, then Alvarez may be enshrined in Astros lore forever, if he has not already attained that status already.
