Jose Altuve Is a Clutch Postseason Hitting Machine
The Houston Astros’ hero in Game 5 of the ALCS has a long history of breaking opponents’ hearts in the playoffs.
In an MLB postseason that has generally lacked drama, Game 5 of the ALCS treated fans with all the ingredients for an instant classic.
The Houston Astros and Texas Rangers traded the lead back and forth multiple times, including on a boisterous, bat-spiking three-run homer by the Rangers’ Adolis García in the sixth inning. The two teams’ long-simmering feud finally boiled over in the bottom of the eighth, when Bryan Abreu hit García with a pitch that was deemed intentional by the umpires, eventually leading to ejections for not only Abreu and García, but also for Astros manager Dusty Baker — just the sixth time this century a manager has been ejected in the Championship Series, according to data from Retrosheet.
Then, Jose Altuve did what he seems to always do in big moments on the postseason stage: He belted José Leclerc’s 0-1 changeup over the fence in left field, just eluding the grasp of Evan Carter’s glove and turning a 4-2 Houston deficit into a 5-4 lead and the eventual final score.
Altuve has been doing this kind of thing for so long that it can be easy to take for granted. But the fact is, a pint-sized second baseman is one of the best postseason sluggers of all time. That homer off Leclerc was Altuve’s 26th homer in his career, which brings him within three of Manny Ramirez for the most in MLB history. He also ranks fourth in career extra-base hits (46) and total bases (211) during the postseason, creeping toward the all-time leader (and fellow infielder) Derek Jeter in both categories.
But what makes Altuve truly special is when his power takes center stage. Of those 26 postseason home runs, more than half (14) have been to either tie a game or, like Friday’s blast, to give Houston the lead — the most of any hitter in playoff history. (Jeter is second, with 12.)
The Rangers have been on the receiving end of chaotic innings and dramatic statement home runs before; just think about Jose Bautista’s bat-flip homer after a similarly controversial sequence in Game 5 of the 2015 ALDS. Now, these Rangers are facing elimination of their own, down 3-2 after losing three consecutive games in the ALCS. They’ll have to hope that the Astros’ strange aversion to winning at home can save them — but if all else fails for Houston, they still have Altuve’s bat to rescue them in the clutch.
Filed under: Baseball
Original story: Jose Altuve Is a Clutch Postseason Hitting Machine