Astros' Jeremy Pena believes no gameplan could work against Yordan Alvarez as $115,000,000 hitter dominates game 1 of ALDS

Yordan Alvarez showed why he's considered a beast with the bat. No strategy seemed to work against him as he drilled the Minnesota Twins pitching for two home runs during the Houston Astros' 6-4 win in Game 1 of the AL Division Series on Saturday.

Alvarez showed why he's one of the feared left-handed batters in the game. In the bottom of the third, he struck starter Bailey Ober for a 379 feet in right field for a two-run blast that also drove in Alex Bregman. Thanks to that and others in the lineup scoring, Houston went 5-0 up in the fifth.

Minnesota, though, rallied with back to back blasts of their own in the seventh innings, scoring four runs. Just when Astros fans would have thought they would surrender the lead completely, Alvarez came for his at-bat in the bottom of the same frame, hitting another solo shot to right field to extend their lead again.

Teammate Jeremy Pena felt that perhaps nothing was wrong with the pitching or gameplay. Alvarez, who signed a $115 million six-year deal in 2022, is one of those batters who defies every strategy a manager puts in front of him.

“It’s always tough on managers because they probably get criticized on the outcome of a play, but it could have been the right play,” Peña said. “You can never really tell; it’s just baseball. And Yordan is just Yordan.”

---

Yordan Alvarez sets more postseason records in outing against Twins

Yordan Alvarez has a knack of bringing out his best during the postseason. Last season, he showed his prowess against the Seattle Mariners and World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. His clutch home runs propelled the Astros to crucial wins.

This was his seventh multi-homer game in the playoffs. He brings the best in Division Series, hitting five of his last eight in the same series.