Yordan Alvarez Getting Hot at the Plate Has Been Crucial for Astros in World Series
By Scott Rogust
The Houston Astros flexed their muscles for the majority of their 2019 season, creating a murderers row in the batting order. However, as evidenced in the ALCS against the New York Yankees, Houston's bats got cold, particularly that of rookie slugger Yordan Alvarez.
Well, it looks like Alvarez was just waiting until the stakes were highest to heat up: the World Series. And his re-heated bat helped the Astros claim a 3-2 lead in the series against the Washington Nationals.
That was Yordan Alvarez’s first homer in more than a month. His last was on Sept. 21 against the Angels at MMP.
— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) October 28, 2019
In the aforementioned Yankees series, Alvarez went a brutal 1-for-22 with 12 strikeouts and an unsightly .170 OPS.
Things were different in the World Series. Entering Game 5, Alvarez went 3-for-8 with a .500 on-base percentage and .375 slugging percentage.
Those numbers skyrocketed on Sunday night, as Alvarez belted a two-run home run to left-center field to give Houston the early 2-0 lead. Alvarez's night wasn't done, as he hit singles to right field in the fourth and seventh innings.
"I'm back." - Yordan pic.twitter.com/NkV7a3qE3o
— MLB (@MLB) October 28, 2019
With his three-hit night, Alvarez is the youngest batter in the American League to accomplish that feat in the World Series since Tony Kubek back in 1957.
When it comes to winning important games, teams need their batters in the middle of the lineup to step up. With the likes of George Springer, Jose Altuve, and Michael Brantley starting things off, Alvarez heating up at the plate made Washington's job much more difficult.
Yordan Álvarez is the youngest AL player with a 3-hit #WorldSeries game since Tony Kubek in 1957. pic.twitter.com/IiHEPUSNhQ
— MLB Stats (@MLBStats) October 28, 2019
Just look at the fourth inning. Alvarez wasn't the easy out like he was in the ALCS. After Alvarez notched a single, Carolos Correa followed it up with a homer to left field to extend Houston's lead to 4-0.
With the Houston Astros now one win away from clinching the franchise's second World Series, you can look at the performance of Yordan Alvarez as a key catalyst in the team's comeback from a 2-0 deficit.
The rookie nearly bounced himself from the lineup altogether ahead of the World Series, but the Astros re-inserted him back into the fold and he's rewarded their patience.