The Houston Astros are, for the first time this season, in sole possession of first place in the AL West.
They took the lead in the division after earning an impressive blowout win against the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.
It was an impressive display of power: Nathan Eovaldi and Dane Dunning couldn’t stop the damage and allowed four and nine runs each, respectively.
The most amazing power showing in the night, however, belonged to Astros second baseman Jose Altuve.
“JOSE ALTUVE IS UNSTOPPABLE. THIRD HR OF THE GAME. FOUR STRAIGHT AT-BATS WITH A HR,” SportsCenter tweeted.
JOSE ALTUVE IS UNSTOPPABLE 🔥
✅ THIRD HR OF THE GAME
✅ FOUR STRAIGHT AT-BATS WITH A HR(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/TUzFuZ6hLc
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 6, 2023
Altuve, who had homered in his last at-bat on Monday, proceeded to hit dingers in the first, second, and third innings of Tuesday’s contest.
He already had three homers before the Rangers could send their seventh, eighth, and ninth hitters to the plate for the first time.
Just four players in the history of MLB have hit three home runs in the first three innings of a game, and Altuve is one of them.
The infielder is on a tear, and is slashing .321/.406/.563 with a cool .969 OPS.
His season got off to a late start because of the injury he suffered in the World Baseball Classic, but the Astros now have prime Altuve in peak form.
With that being the case, their lineup is as dominant as ever, featuring stars such as Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, Kyle Tucker, and Chas McCormick, among others.
The AL West remains as contested as ever, with just two games separating the Astros, Rangers, and Seattle Mariners.
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