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Washington completed its four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals on Oct. 15, the night Houston and New York played Game 3 of their six-game tussle. Houston defeated the Yankees in the ALCS for the second time in three seasons. The Astros also knocked New York out of the postseason for the third time in five years -- something no other team has done to the Bronx Bombers. Altuve said the homer was probably his best career moment to date, but he wouldn't take credit for the win. Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve celebrates his home run in the tenth inning of Game 2 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017, in Los Angeles.
While we wait for Tuesday night's Game 6, we’ve ranked all 23 of Altuve’s postseason home runs, which you can watch chronologically in the video below. Jose Altuve hit his 23rd career postseason home run on Saturday night, giving him more than any other player except Manny Ramírez, who has 29. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a solo home run during the seventh inning of game one of the American League Division Series against the Boston Red Sox on October 5, 2017 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros reacts after hitting a solo home run off of Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox during the fifth inning of game one of the American League Division Series on October 5, 2017 at Minute Maid Park in Houston. Altuve gave the Astros their first lead of the 2019 postseason, hitting a two-run shot off the Rays in the bottom of the fifth to put Houston up 2-0 in Game 1 of the ALDS.
Aroldis Chapman: Jose Altuve's Actions After Walk-off vs. Yankees 'Suspicious'
Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting a solo home run against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning in Game Two of the World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 27, 2021 in Houston. While it didn't come in a Houston victory, the fact that it occurred during a close World Series matchup puts this one ahead of some of the others from winning efforts. Altuve put the Astros up 2-0 with a solo home run in the top of the fourth, but they didn't score again in a 3-2 loss. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros hits a solo home run against Kyle Wright #30 of the Atlanta Braves during the fourth inning in Game Four of the World Series at Truist Park on October 30, 2021 in Atlanta.
When it comes to Altuve postseason home runs, this one stands apart in a category of its own. The Astros led the Yankees after each of the first eight innings in Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS, but New York was able to plate two runs in the top of the ninth to tie the game up. Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman—who was coming off his sixth of seven All-Star seasons, and who hadn't allowed a run in his previous eight playoff appearances—walked Springer with two outs, bringing Altuve to the plate. Altuve playoff home runs tend to coincide with Astros victories, with Houston going 16-5 in postseason games in which he goes deep.
Yankees' Aroldis Chapman says he's responsible for home run by Astros' Jose Altuve, but . . .
They have improved from 84 wins to 101 to 103 to 107 in the past four years, the trajectory of the rare group immune to complacency. One of the greatest challenges in baseball today is the virus of complacency that attacks from within once players and teams win a championship. It is human nature, especially when it is so hard to win just once. No team has defended its World Series title for 19 straight years, the longest stretch in history. But you must figure that Altuve will be in the middle of whatever drama unfolds.
In the top of the fourth, Altuve hit a solo shot off Kendall Wright, putting the Astros up 2-0, although they would go on to drop the game to the Braves, 3-2. In a game where the Atros’ offense struggled mightily, Altuve still showed up. In the bottom of the first, Altuve cranked a solo homer off Jesus Luzardo that tied the game at 1. Although, this proved to be a slugfest that the Astros lost 9-7. White Sox reliever Ryan Tepera suggested the Astros were up to some "sketchy stuff" at Minute Maid Park after his team's 12-6 win in Game 3.
2019 ALDS Game 1 vs. Rays (No.
No team has kept Altuve off base in his past 19 postseason games. This ALCS-ending moment, you can be sure, is not enough for him or this team. The Astros had led the entirety of Game 6 until the ninth, when Yankees first baseman DJ LeMahieu, refusing to be put away by closer Roberto Osuna, ended a 10-pitch battle by hitting a home run just beyond the outstretched arm of rightfielder George Springer.
Those who have played with him admire him as much as any player they've met, and they had no doubt he was going to come through again in the clutch. "Everybody thought we were going to lose this game, except for us," he told reporter Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet. "We kept grinding and kept battling every time and we made it happen."
2021 ALCS Game 1 vs Boston at Minute Maid Park
A two-run home run by George Springer in the top of the 11th was the deciding factor in a 7-6 Houston victory. The final score of 9-2 doesn't give justice to how close Game 4 of the 2021 ALCS actually was. Altuve came to the plate with the Red Sox up 2-1 in the top of the eighth, and proceeded to hit a game-tying solo shot over the Green Monster. Houston tacked on seven more runs in the ninth to secure the victory and tie the series at two games apiece.
"It felt good, though. I'm just happy for Jose Altuve and he deserves all that. He got a little emotional after the game, and we all did. It was something special today." Down 7-2 heading to the ninth, the Astros posted their first win when trailing by five or more runs in the ninth inning since July 25, 1980 (and the first ended on a walk-off hit since July 24, 1978). "A lot of people are disappointed with the situation. That's why the commissioner did an investigation," Chapman told Olney. "Hopefully, they take the right actions. I just feel that they put baseball in a bad spot. A lot of people have suffered because of it, because of what they did, and what came out of it."
Although they lost Game 4 on Saturday, the Astros are 17-5 in the playoffs when Altuve homers. Besides Minute Maid Park, where he has homered 13 times in the playoffs, Dodger Stadium and Petco Park are the next-leading ballparks, having hit three apiece there. It helped that the Astros played postseason series at both places during last year's pandemic-shortened season.
He claimed it was because his wife didn’t like it when his teammates ripped off his shirt, but it led to speculation that the Astros were using buzzers under their jerseys to relay stolen signs in real time. MLB investigated the Altuve accusations and said they found nothing. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the 10th inning of Game 2 of the 2017 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on October 25, 2017 in Los Angeles. Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates after hitting a solo home run against David Robertson #30 of the New York Yankees during the eighth inning in Game Six of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park on October 20, 2017 in Houston.
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