The reigning World Series Champion Houston Astros took the sole lead in the American League West division for the first time this season thanks in large part to the hitting performance their star second baseman Jose Altuve just had.
In one of the most important inter-division matchups of the season against the Texas Rangers, Altuve blasted three home runs to lift the Astros past the Rangers. The Rangers are one of the two teams who have been neck-and-neck with the Astros throughout the season in the race for the AL West.
Jose Altuve has raised his OPS to .969 on the season.
Here are his 3 home runs tonight.
He's the 4th player in MLB history to homer 3 times in the first 3 innings pic.twitter.com/pRZQCv4rt2
— Michael Schwab (@michaelschwab13) September 6, 2023
The Rangers and Astros were tied for first place in the division before the start of this three-game series, where the Astros won the first two meetings dominantly.
Altuve has taken matters into his own hands this series by smashing five home runs in the last two games against the Rangers. The 2017 AL MVP Award winner is doing everything in his power to ensure his team has a chance to repeat as World Series Champions.
The Astros defeated the Rangers 14-1 in yesterday’s clash which saw Altuve clobber three solo homers with three runs batted in, giving them a one-game lead over the Seattle Mariners for first place in the division.
The star second baseman is going to have to continue mashing the ball if the Astros want to avoid the race for one of the three Wild Card spots. Altuve has a .321 batting average to go with 15 home runs, 39 runs batted in, and 13 stolen bases.
