Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve, 24, is having a fantastic season and leads Major League Baseball in batting average by a wide margin at .345 (Detroit’s Victor Martinez is second at .336). He’s also first in the majors in hits (221) and third in steals (54).
During a hit-and-run attempt in the top of the eighth inning with the Texas Rangers leading 4-3 and left fielder Robbie Grossman at first and no one out, Altuve swung at a very high 93 mph fastball from Texas’ Roman Mendez on the first pitch. Even after leaving his feet, the 5’5″ hitter was somehow able to make contact, fouling the offering back at the unlucky catcher, Robinson Chirinos, who understandably wasn’t able to react in time.
Despite Altuve‘s best efforts, the 69-88 Astros fell 4-3 to the 63-93 Rangers. He went 1-for-4 in Monday’s game with a double and an RBI. Altuve ended up lining out to center field in the at-bat seen above.
[MLB.com]
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