We’ve seen four playoff games so far, and if we can take anything from these few games, it’s that we could be in for an incredibly entertaining month of baseball this year. Both wild card games delivered in the drama and action departments, but Game 1 of the ALDS between the Red Sox and Astros gave us a moment of history that we won’t forget.
Jose Altuve swung himself into legendary October company
Friday’s Say Hey, Baseball takes a look at the three massive dingers that Jose Altuve sent flying on Thursday. Plus, Cleveland looked impressive in its game as well.
Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images
We went into Game 1 thinking that there was a chance we’d see a pitcher’s duel between Justin Verlander and Chris Sale. For what it’s worth, Verlander held up his end of the bargain. He got through six full innings, but once he departed, the game was well in hand for Houston. That was due to the fact that the Astros teed off on Chris Sale. Specifically, Jose Altuve decided that Thursday was the day in which he’d give us his best impression of Reggie Jackson in October.
Alex Bregman started off Houston’s offensive assault with a homer in the first inning, and according to Astros beat writer Brian McTaggart, Altuve told Bregman that he wanted to hit a home run as well. So naturally, Altuve walked up to home plate after Bregman hit his and hit one deep to left-center field. Anybody else would have considered that to be “mission accomplished” on the day, but Altuve wasn’t satisfied with just one dinger.
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He got Sale again in the fifth inning when he ambushed the first pitch he saw and sent it into nearly the same spot. Sale left the game in the next inning, but Altuve still wasn’t done. Once the seventh inning rolled around, that’s when the AL MVP candidate took Austin Maddox deep into the Crawford Boxes for his third home run.
Bob Costas quipped that nobody would confuse the diminutive Altuve with the rotund Babe Ruth, but now they have to be mentioned in the same breath when it comes to amazing postseason performances. We may not see another hitter go deep three times in one game this October, but the entertainment value of the playoffs could very well stay at the same high level.
- Jason Kipnis is not a center fielder, but he could’ve fooled the entire world based on this spectacular catch that he made during Cleveland’s win over New York on Thursday.
- For the first time in maybe forever, the Yankees have a likable team in the playoffs. That doesn’t mean that Charlotte Wilder has to like them, though.
- Charlotte probably appreciated seeing Trevor Bauer completely neutralize the Yankees’ offense on Cleveland’s way to a 4-0 victory.
- All four Divisonal Series will be in action today, and that includes the beginning of the Cubs-Nationals series. Here’s a look at the starting pitchers for each team.
- It’s not official just yet, but it appears that Paul Molitor will be returning to manage the Twins for another season.
- In other managerial news, the Braves have officially decided to keep Brian Snitker on for next season.
- The Braves made that decision despite the fact that they don’t currently have a GM and there are rumors of a rift between John Hart and John Schuerholz. That sound you hear is a cartoon dog in a burning house telling himself that everything is fine.
- The Royals are reportedly looking into putting a stadium in downtown Kansas City. The crew at Royals Review is flabbergasted.
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