It has been almost a day and other games have been played since it ended, yet everybody is still talking about the opening clash between the Houston Astros and the Seattle Mariners.
They are talking about a single play, to be specific: Yordan Alvarez‘s game-winning home run in the bottom of the ninth frame that turned a two-run deficit into a one-run win.
Against starter Robbie Ray, Alvarez belted a loud home run to help Houston take an early 1-0 lead in the American League Division Series.
It was loud because of the hard contact he made with the ball, and because it started madness in Minute Maid Park: it’s hard to remember a moment in which fans were louder.
We have seen Alvarez’s blast from every possible angle at this point, except for this one.
This angle of the Astros during Yordan's WALK-OFF 🤯
They knew 💪 pic.twitter.com/rzKby0t0XG
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) October 12, 2022
It was taken at somewhere at or near the Astros’ dugout, and it captured the players’ raw emotion from a privileged spot.
A Truly Elite Hitter
It’s almost as if the person filming knew what was about to happen.
Well, it wasn’t hard to imagine what could happen when Alvarez slugged 37 home runs in just 135 games.
He was one of the finest offensive machines in all MLB, with an elite 185 wRC+ when the league average hitter has a 100 wRC+ mark.
The Astros have the league’s best offense, and Alvarez is the best hitter of the bunch.
That’s saying a lot, since the team boasts stars such as Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve, Yuli Gurriel, Kyle Tucker, and Jeremy Pena.
The Mariners had the game in the bag at one point, with a four-run lead in the eighth inning.
Now, they are down 1-0 and two losses from being eliminated.
All thanks to Alvarez.
NEXT: Dusty Baker Perfectly Describes Postseason Baseball