No Astro had ever struck three home runs against the same pitcher in the same game before...
A couple takes photos of each other with the Mexican flag and Astros sombreros before the start of an MLB baseball game at Minute Maid Park on Friday, Sept. 16, 2022 in Houston.The day Yordan Alvarez awed the Astros began with no pregame batting practice. He “didn’t take a lot” of swings in the team’s underground batting cage, either, before authoring the signature moment of his magical season.
“He’s one of the best hitters I ever played with,” Verlander said after firing five hitless innings inLatest MLB scores and stats powered by ESPN “That was the best game I’ve ever seen live from a hitter in my career,” catcher Martín Maldonado said. “We talk about, here, in center field, the ball dies a lot,” hitting coach Alex Cintrón said. “So even him, I think that first ball he hit he ran hard.”
Whether Alvarez developed the bad habits because of his bothersome hand — or hands — is another matter entirely. Friday did provide an emphatic end to three days of avoidable drama. Manager Dusty Baker’s assertion on Wednesday that Alvarez’s hands hurt irked the player, who sought out reporters and contradicted his skipper.Baker’s inability to communicate — or at least craft a public explanation to appease Alvarez — is a misstep, especially for a man with a reputation as a players’ manager.