Astros Strong Page 8

  White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia, also from Venezuela and a friend of Altuve, finished second in AL batting at .330. Charlie Blackmon of the Rockies won the NL batting title with a .331 clip. Blackmon led the majors in hits with 213.

  Jose Altuve had another incredible season for the Astros, hitting a major-league best .346, while slugging 24 homers, driving in 81 runs and stealing 32 bases. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle)

  “Starting from tomorrow, everybody’s going to go from zero,” said Altuve, who after batting leadoff Sunday will move back to the third spot in the Astros’ lineup for the postseason. “Zero wins. Zero losses. Your average is zero. So I’ve got to try to do the same thing to help my team to win.”

  Altuve’s .346 average is the third best in a single season for an Astros player who had enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title. Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell batted .368 in his 1994 NL MVP season, which was strike-shortened. He finished second in the NL in average that season to Tony Gwynn (.394). Alou’s .355 in 2000 also placed him second, behind Todd Helton (.372).

  Altuve, who went 0-for-2 with two groundouts to third base Sunday, finished a double shy of 40 for the season. His 204 hits were 12 more than the AL player with the next most, Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer.

  The consistency with which Altuve accomplished his cumulative average is incredible. He batted .347 before the All-Star break and .344 after it. He hit .345 against righthanders and .353 against lefties.

  The biggest discrepancy is his home and road splits. Altuve batted .311 at home and .381 on the road. No regular player has recorded that high of a road batting average since Ichiro Suzuki’s .405 in 2004.

  Altuve also became the first player in major league history to lead his league outright in hits four consecutive seasons. Suzuki led the AL in hits for five consecutive seasons from 2006 to 2010 but tied with Dustin Pedroia in 2008.

  “It’s crazy to think of how routine he’s making 200 hits a year. We just sort of expect that, and it’s not easy,” said Hinch, who refers to Altuve as “the heart and soul of what we’re about.”

  “It’s not easy to be as consistent as he’s been.”

  Altuve’s consistent excellence early in his career has him on a similar Hall of Fame path as Astros legend and fellow second baseman Craig Biggio. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle)

  Yuli Gurriel

  10 | First Baseman

  Great Import

  Accustomed to the International Stage as a Cuban Star, Yuli Gurriel is Thriving

  By Jenny Dial Creech • October 13, 2017

  It’s not rare to look around Minute Maid park during Astros games and see the wigs.

  Sprouts of light brown hair sticking straight up.

  The wigs are great, but nothing compares to the real thing.

  Yuli Gurriel’s signature hairdo makes its appearance from time to time after he delivers a big hit and takes off his batting helmet.

  The grin a few inches below has become as beloved as the pineapple-shaped hair.

  Since joining the Astros late last season, Gurriel has become an instant hit among fans. And teammates. And the rest of the American League.

  Gurriel might still be relatively new to the majors, but the 33-year old is not new to baseball.

  He has played on big stages internationally for years, so it’s no surprise he is excelling in the playoffs now.

  Heading into the American League Championship Series opener against the Yankees, Gurriel, who retained his rookie status this year has been one of this postseason’s best performers. He has nine hits in 17 at-bats (.529) over four games and has struck out just once. (Or 15 times fewer than New York rookie sensation Aaron Judge in six games.)

  When Gurriel signed with the Astros last July, it was a big moment for a team that for years had been building toward winning big. Committing $47.5 million over five years to the Cuban star showed just how serious the Astros, a franchise on the rise, were about pursuing a championship.

  Expectations were high for Gurriel, but his progress and gradual adaptation to the majors has been impressive.

  From his memorable hair to his lively personality, Yuli Gurriel has been a hit on and off the field for the Astros. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle)

  After slashing .262/.292/.385 in 130 major league at-bats a year ago, Gurriel upped those figures to .299/.332/.486 in 2017 and increased his home run total from three to 18. His 43 doubles led the Astros and tied for seventh in the majors.

  A.J. Hinch would like to say he knew what all he was getting with Gurriel, but the Astros manager laughs when he thinks about how much better Gurriel has been than he could have imagined.

  “I didn’t know he was going to get multiple hits in every game in the postseason,” Hinch said. “But I think his ability to handle the stress and anxiety that comes with the situations is not surprising. He’s been on the international stage. He’s been the central sports figure of a country where baseball is beloved, so I think his personality that has come out this year, his exuberance, his overall consistent play has been something we’ve expected. It’s nice to see it play out.”

  In addition to what he’s done offensively, Gurriel has been impressive at first base. He switched to the position from third and hasn’t skipped a beat.

  “I think his adjustment at first base is sort of glossed over,” Hinch said. “His work around the bag – he’s turned into one of the best scoopers at first base on balls in the dirt. His range is really good. We could move him to the other side, but we don’t have to. But that’s not easy to take an international star and put him at first base – a position he has rarely played – and end up rather good at it.”

  Gurriel said he has found a level of comfort with the Astros. He has enjoyed getting to know his teammates, has a great relationship with them and, in the midst of that, is having a blast playing the game.

  Through a translator, Gurriel said he’s not surprised how he has adjusted to playing in the United States and that he is happy with the transition.

  The more comfortable he gets, he said, the better his play gets.

  What might be the most impressive part of what Gurriel has done so far is the fact he has yet to bend under any pressure. In Game 3 of the ALDS, he became the first Cuban-born player to collect four hits in a postseason game. In the Game 4 clincher at Boston, he tripled, doubled and singled.

  He never seems fazed. And when things start going well – the way they have in his postseason at bats – he gets rolling.

  Gurriel said his confidence picks up when he gets a hit, and he feels even better when he goes back to the plate. He also feeds off his teammates, and lately, he said, everyone has been playing really well.

  Gurriel has found a home with the Astros, and they couldn’t be happier about it. He’s comfortable in his own skin and on their roster.

  And in wearing that unmistakable hairdo.

  The 33-year old rookie’s defense at first base has been better than expected and his power has carried over from his days in Cuba, hitting 18 homers during the 2017 season. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle)

  American League Division Series

  Steve Gonzales/Houston Chronicle

  Boom! Boom! Boom!

  Altuve’s 3 Homers Highlight Win Over Sale in Opener

  By Jake Kaplan

  American League Division Series Game 1

  October 5, 2017 • Houston, Texas

  Astros 8, Red Sox 2

  Each of the four times he stepped into the batter’s box, Jose Altuve was serenaded with chants of “MVP” from the Minute Maid Park crowd of 43,000-plus.

  The Astros’ superstar second baseman used three of those at-bats to author the signature performance of his career.

  Altuve’s legend grew in Game 1 of the American League Division Series between the Astros and Boston Red Sox. In his team
’s 8-2 win, the five-time All-Star and 2017 AL MVP candidate became the ninth player in major league history to hit three home runs in a postseason game.

  All three were solo blasts, each more unbelievable than the last. The first two came off Boston lefthander Chris Sale, one of the best pitchers in baseball. His third prompted a curtain call. Forget the postseason. No Astros player had homered three times in a regular-season game in a decade.

  “That was amazing to watch,” said shortstop Carlos Correa, who bats behind Altuve in the relentless Astros’ lineup. “He made me feel like a leadoff hitter today.”

  Altuve became the first player to homer three times in a postseason game since Pablo Sandoval, his fellow Venezuelan, did it in Game 1 of the 2012 World Series for the San Francisco Giants against the Detroit Tigers. Others to accomplish the feat include Albert Pujols, Adrian Beltre, George Brett, Reggie Jackson and none other than Babe Ruth, who did it twice.

  Altuve’s heroics highlighted a 12-hit day for the Astros, who will send Dallas Keuchel to the mound for Game 2 of the best-of-five series. Their Game 1 pitcher, Justin Verlander, had ample run support in his 17th career postseason start. Sale, the Red Sox ace, was charged with seven runs in his first exposure to October ball.

  “I think we can officially call him a ‘run producer,’” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said of Altuve. “I think in a lot of ways he gets so many hits that I think some of his run production gets cast aside a little bit.

  Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa celebrate Altuve’s fifth-inning home run. The Astros’ second baseman hit three solo homers in his team’s 8-2 win over the Red Sox. (Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle)

  “But he’s the best hitter in the league, and that’s in a league of really, really good hitters. And to watch him have a day like today, it’s a great reward for the work that’s put in to not only be a good hitter who gets hits but be a good hitter who produces runs, and that’s not easy to do at this level.”

  Altuve, who’s listed at 5-foot-6, 165 pounds but will refer to himself as 5-foot-5, 160, said he had never before in his life had a three-homer game. He homered 24 times in each of the last two regular seasons. In this latest one, the best of his seven, he posted a .957 OPS. But in typical Altuve fashion, he used his postgame press conference to deflect attention to his teammates.

  “What happened today is new for me,” he said, “and I’m really happy that it happened in a playoff game.”

  Baseball’s best offense broke out early behind its raucous orange-clad audience. Alex Bregman and Altuve went deep back-to-back off Sale in the first. Marwin Gonzalez cracked a two-run double in the fourth. Between Altuve’s two other home runs in the fifth and seventh, Brian McCann plated two runs on a single in the sixth.

  Against Sale, Altuve launched fastballs registering 97 mph and 95 mph, both left over the plate, out to almost the exact same spot in left-center field. On his third homer, this one to left, Altuve capitalized on an 83 mph changeup Red Sox rookie righthander Austin Maddox threw to the middle of the strike zone.

  After each of his homers, Altuve was met in the dugout by the outstretched arms of teammate George Springer. After the third, Springer jokingly grabbed at Altuve’s right biceps.

  “He’s a joke,” Springer said. “He said he’s never hit three homers in a game in his life. That’s a great day to hit three. The dude’s a ‘create a player.’ He’s the MVP of the league. I don’t see who else could be. He’s unbelievable.”

  Justin Verlander put up six solid innings for the Astros, starting opposite Chris Sale in Game 1. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle)

  Sale, a six-time All-Star and an AL Cy Young Award candidate, recorded only 15 outs. He gave up nine hits, three of which left the park. The Astros ran his pitch count to 75 through four innings. He exited after yielding the second of two Evan Gattis doubles and a Josh Reddick walk to begin the bottom of the sixth.

  Verlander wasn’t his best but was more than good enough in six innings of two-run ball. The 34-year-old righthander struck out only three and walked two. Fifth and sixth innings of eight and 12 pitches, respectively, helped him overcome a pitch count of 79 through four innings.

  For Altuve, his three long balls matched his hit total from his disappointing 2015 ALDS against the Kansas City Royals. He joined former Anaheim Angel Adam Kennedy as the only second basemen in history with a three-homer game in the playoffs.

  The last three-homer game by an Astro in the regular season came courtesy of Carlos Lee on April 13, 2007, against Philadelphia. Carlos Beltran in Game 5 of the 2004 NLDS and Correa in Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS were responsible for the only previous two-homer postseason performances in Astros history.

  “I told him the last time I’ve seen three home runs in a game was Pablo Sandoval, and I gave up two of them, so I’m glad there’s somebody new that’s done it,” Verlander quipped. “But the guy, Jose, he’s an incredible baseball player.”

  According to Plan

  Correa Picks Up Where Altuve Left Off, Backs Solid Start by Keuchel

  By Jake Kaplan

  American League Division Series Game 2

  October 6, 2017 • Houston, Texas

  Astros 8, Red Sox 2

  A.J. Hinch hasn’t had to tax his bullpen, make a tough substitution or really render any difficult in-game decisions 18 innings into this American League Division Series. Through the first two games, it’s been all Astros.

  A second consecutive 8-2 victory in Game 2 leaves the Astros needing to win only one of three games against the Boston Red Sox to advance to the ALCS. Their first chance to clinch their first postseason series since the 2005 NLCS will come in Sunday afternoon’s Game 3, when Brad Peacock will start opposite ex-Astro Doug Fister at Fenway Park.

  Charlie Morton would start for the Astros in Game 4 if one is necessary. If Game 3 follows a script anything close to that of Game 1 and Game 2, it won’t be.

  “We won’t take anything for granted,” said Hinch, the third-year Astros manager, whose team flew to Boston on Friday night and will work out there Saturday afternoon. “This is a team that’s very, very laser focused on winning the series. You don’t win the series with two wins; you win it with three.”

  The same offense that led the majors in slugging percentage while being the hardest to strike out has been on display in full force in the first two games. In addition to outscoring the Red Sox 16-4, the Astros have out-homered them 6-0. They are batting a collective .343 and slugging .686.

  “It shows the depth of our team,” said outfielder George Springer, who led off the bottom of Game 2’s third inning with a home run. “It’s not the same guy every day. Except it’s always (Jose) Altuve day.”

  Altuve, the AL’s three-time batting champ and potentially its 2017 MVP, had two more hits in Game 2, only this time both were singles. The first, with two outs in the first inning, set the table for a two-run blast over the Crawford Boxes by Carlos Correa. The second, in the third inning, drove in Alex Bregman and put the Astros up 4-1.

  Shortstop Carlos Correa launches a home run off Boston’s Drew Pomeranz in the first inning of Game 2 at Minute Maid Park. (Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle)

  The Red Sox chose not to pitch to Altuve in his third and fourth plate appearances, intentionally walking the second baseman each time to instead face Correa. Altuve has reached base safely in seven of his nine plate appearances in the series, which he kick-started with his epic three-homer performance in Game 1.

  “To be honest with you, I came to the ballpark mentally prepared for that situation,” Correa said of Boston’s intentionally walking Altuve. “He hit three homers (in Game 1). He’s the best hitter in the game right now, so I was expecting when the first base was open, there were guys on base and in an important situation, he was going to get walked.”

  Fittingly, Correa delivered the biggest swings of the afternoon for the Astros in Game 2. On top of his fir
st-inning homer off Drew Pomeranz, he broke open the game with a two-run double off Addison Reed in the sixth. It was the 23-year-old shortstop’s second career four-RBI postseason game after Game 4 of the 2015 ALDS.

  “I think it all starts with the starting rotation. When you have two Cy Young winners in the front of your rotation, it gives you a lot of confidence, and we in the lineup know that a couple runs will be enough,” Correa said. “So it’s good to start with an early lead, and then (Justin) Verlander and (Dallas) Keuchel are going to do the rest.

  “We know that if we can go out there and score early, we’re giving them a good chance to feel comfortable out there on the mound.”

  In a postseason of short outings, the Astros have had each of their top two starters pitch into the sixth. A day after Verlander tossed six innings of two-run ball, Keuchel completed 5 2/3 and allowed only one run.

  George Springer (4) and Jose Altuve (27) celebrate at home plate following a two-run double by Carlos Correa. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle)

  Keuchel recovered from a rocky start to retire 13 consecutive batters between the second and sixth innings before a walk of Hanley Ramirez spelled the end of his day. The former Cy Young Award winner surrendered only three hits.

  “They had a good game plan early on, and that was to look over the plate and raise their eye sights, and I wasn’t able to pull up the two-seam,” Keuchel said.

  “So I just went to plan B, and that was go extreme – extreme in with the cutter and slider – and was able to get some early strikes, get ahead in the count, attack them and kind of put them back on their heels and was fortunate enough to make an adjustment early enough before it was too late.”