
Let’s admire Jose Altuve for a moment. Or two. Or three.
That’s it, right?
Well, no.
This can’t be a proper recap without highlighting the best performer of today’s game: The one and only, Jose Altuve.
As the game kept rolling, Altuve kept hitting solo home runs. Of course, he hit his first one in the first inning. He then hit his second one in the fifth inning off of Sale again. And a third home run in the seventh inning off of Austin Maddox.
https://twitter.com/champssports/status/916096910691364864
So, yeah, about the AL MVP award, um, I think Jose Altuve made sure to remind you that he is still here.
A historic day for sure.
Jose Altuve is the 9th player all-time to hit three homers in a playoff game.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) October 5, 2017
There is no denying that Altuve is a special, special player. Do I dare say that his peak is even better than Craig Biggio’s peak?
<Insert collective gasp>
I know, I know. That was a blasphemous statement. But you can’t help but wonder.
Justin Verlander, the Tigers icon and current Astro, had a few complimentary remarks to his teammate.
Justin Verlander on the "electric ... incredible" crowd. Then he says bigger things about Jose Altuve. #Astros pic.twitter.com/OeEezJSQkG
— Brian T. Smith (@ChronBrianSmith) October 6, 2017
Next: Astros fans shouldn't worry about the Red Sox lefty starters
All in all, this was a great Game 1 for the Astros. Solid pitching, spectacular hitting and a great atmosphere at the ballpark. But this is just one game. Houston still needs ten more wins before their ultimate goal is realized. Thursday’s game was just the first step.
**Statistics courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball Reference and Fangraphs**