Houston Astros Continue Historic Winning Tear Tied to Yordan Alvarez's Success
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One of the most accurate predictors of the Houston Astros' success appears to be Yordan Alvarez's ability to get on base.
The All-Star designated hitter went 3-for-5 with a solo home run in the Astros' 17-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.
According to OptaSTATS on Twitter, the Astros are now 170-48 when Alvarez has reached base multiple times in his career, good for a .780 winning percentage. That is the highest team winning percentage for a player in such games in the modern era, minimum 200 games.
The previous record-holder was New York Yankees first baseman Joe Collins, who lifted his team to a 210-63 record when he reached base multiple times from 1948 to 1957.
The Astros were without Alvarez for 40 games this season, as he spent over seven weeks on the injured list with right oblique discomfort this summer. That wasn't his first time missing an extended period due to injury, as he only played two games in 2020 as a result of a positive COVID-19 test and two arthroscopic knee surgeries.
When Alvarez has been healthy, Houston has won.
Alvarez won AL Rookie of the Year in 2019, all while the Astros finished the regular season 107-55 and wound up winning the AL pennant. The Astros went 95-67 and won the AL pennant again in 2021 once Alvarez returned from his knee surgeries. The Cuban slugger won ALCS MVP that postseason.
The Astros finally broke through with Alvarez in 2022, when they went 106-56 and won the World Series. Alvarez made his first All-Star Game, won his first Silver Slugger and finished third in AL MVP voting.
For his career, Alvarez has 116 home runs, 103 doubles and 339 RBI while batting .294 with a .976 OPS. Alvarez is averaging 44 home runs, 39 doubles and 128 RBI per 162 games, and his .385 on-base percentage since 2019 is the sixth-best among qualified hitters.
In 61 games this season, Alvarez is hitting .286 with 18 home runs, 13 doubles, 56 RBI and a .988 OPS.
Alvarez will have another chance to get on base multiple times Monday night against the Cleveland Guardians. First pitch for that game is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.
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