Jose Altuve Passes 2,000 Hit Milestone

Last night's game was ugly. Framber Valdez melted down again and the Astros offense was pretty quiet. When they did manage to muster up a threat, they ran themselves off the base paths.

Were it not for one historic moment, it would definitely be a night worth forgetting. The Astros are in desperate need of a win to keep the red-hot Mariners off of their heels entering this afternoon's game, but one moment from last night is worth remembering.

Jose Altuve became the third Astro in MLB history to pick up 2,000 career hits.

Altuve entered the night with 1,998 career hits. A first-pitch leadoff single left him needing only one to join the 2,000 hit club. He struck out swinging in the third, but was able to pass the milestone in the bottom of the fifth.

Altuve pulled a ball down the left field line that caromed high off the Crawford Box wall. The ever aggressive Altuve attempted to stretch the single into a double, and in eerily similar fashion to Craig Biggio before him, was thrown out at second.

Altuve became the seventh active player with 2,000 career hits. Only Joey Votto also picked up all 2,000 while playing for one franchise.

With the single, Altuve put himself in elite company. He now has 2,000 hits, 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases. He managed to rack those numbers up in only 1,631 games played, faster than any player in big league history. Willie Mays had previously been the fastest at 1,669.

The count down for 3,000 is now on. For his career, Altuve holds a 162-game average of 199 hits. This season aside, he's typically very healthy. He isn't picking up the outrageous quantity of soft contact hits he did from 2014-2017 when he won three batting titles, but assuming health, is basically a lock for 150 hits a year.

If he can stay healthy and maintain elite production for another couple of seasons, we may very well see Altuve join the 3,000 hit club around 2030.