Mexico City witnessed the battle of two teams that weren’t doing particularly well. For both the Houston Astros and their opponents, the Colorado Rockies, this is a must-win series. However, on April 27th, it was the Astronauts that flew high. But on a day that saw the Astros’ hitters having a blast, Yordan Alvarez was the one who stole the show.
With a 12-4 score, the Astros completely dominated the Rockies. The 2022 World Series winners collected 15 hits in what was a hitting masterpiece. But the real story is about Yordan Alvarez’s twin homers. The star rocketed through the ball, which traveled a distance of 461 feet in both of his homers. While that is a huge achievement in itself, what makes it better is that Alvarez found himself creating some history.
The Astros star became the first player since the stat-cast era to hit two 450-plus-foot homers in a single game. However, while it is a great individual achievement, Alvarez was far more excited about its impact on his team. “We’ve had games in the past where we fall down early and don’t have the opportunity to make a comeback,” Alvarez said (via MLB.com). “When I hit that home run, I think it definitely changed the dynamic of the game and gave a lot of eerie to the rest of the guys.”
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Yordan Alvarez is the 2nd player in the Statcast era (since 2015) with two 460+FT HRs in a single game.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) April 28, 2024
It certainly did, as the Astros’ performance was nothing like the season they’ve been having. Before this game, the Astronauts were 5-for-34 in their five-game skid for hits with runners in scoring positions. That was a major issue for the team. However, in this game, the Astronauts went 6-for-12 in similar situations. That proved to be a major boon for the team.
With the entire team in a celebratory mood, the Astros hope that this win could kickstart their season. At least, Yordan Alvarez believes in this sentiment, as revealed by his comments for his teammates.
Yordan Alvarez hopes a rebirth is coming for the Houston Astros
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“I don’t think it’s a secret we were having a tough go of it offensively. I trust the talent that our team has,” Alvarez then shared his words to the team. “‘This is going to be our beginning of the season,’” Alvarez said. The star had entered the game with a massive chip on his back. The fact that he ended up being the architect of this victory only proves his words right.
Yordan Alvarez has a pair of #MexicoCitySeries homers! pic.twitter.com/gBECfZLL9h
— MLB (@MLB) April 28, 2024
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“We had a lot of at-bats with runners in scoring position with the infield in and we used the whole field,” said Joe Espada. This game proved to be a massive relief for the skipper. Amidst his team’s failings, Espada had found himself at the center of fans’ criticism. Now with the team slowly scripting a comeback, Espada must be a happy man.
However, one still can’t completely say that the Astros are back, especially because the team has flattered to deceive before. But if Alvarez’s words are true – perhaps this is the start of the Astros’ season.