Houston Astros Slugger Yordan Alvarez on Pace to Post Historic Lefty-Lefty Splits

Yordan Alvarez had two hits in Tuesday's game versus the Oakland Athletics, bumping the Houston Astros lefty's batting average against southpaws up to a whopping .379.

Sep 7, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) hits an RBI single against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fourth inning at Minute Maid Park. | Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Yordan Alvarez may not have shown a ton of pop in Tuesday night's showdown with the Oakland Athletics, but the Houston Astros left fielder stayed on pace to make history regardless.

Alvarez went 2-for-6 in the Astros' eventual 12-inning, 4-3 loss to the A's. He notched a single off JP Spears in the first, then another off Scott Alexander in the ninth.

Both Spears and Alexander are lefties, so it isn't particularly surprising that Alvarez was able to get hits off of them. The 27-year-old slugger, a left-handed hitter with reverse splits, is a career .317 hitter against lefties.

This season alone, Alvarez is batting .379 with a 1.052 OPS versus left-handers. Against righties, Alvarez is hitting .278 with a .924 OPS.

According to Underdog Fantasy's Justin Havens, Alvarez's batting average against left-handed pitchers in 2024 is the fourth-highest by a left-handed hitter in the Wild Card era.

Ichiro Suzuki boasts the highest single-season left-on-left batting average of any player since the Wild Card era began in 1994, hitting .404 against lefties in 2004. Todd Helton ranks second with a .387 batting average against lefties in 2003, while Barry Bonds' 2002 campaign sits in third at .384.

Yordan Alvarez is hitting .379 against LHP this season. That’s the 4th-highest BA by a LHB against LHP in the Wild Card Era, behind only Ichiro Suzuki (.404 in 2004), Todd Helton (.387 in 2003) and Barry Bonds (.384 in 2002).

— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) September 11, 2024

On the whole this season, Alvarez is batting .312 with 32 home runs, 80 RBI, a .966 OPS and a 5.2 WAR. The three-time All-Star is pushing to win his second career Silver Slugger Award this fall, all while leading Houston to a fourth consecutive AL West crown.

Alvarez may not get a chance to feast on another southpaw when the Astros face the Athletics again on Wednesday, considering right-hander Joey Estes is Oakland's probable starter. The A's have three lefties in their bullpen – Alexander, T.J. McFarland and Hogan Harris – but they all pitched Tuesday.

First pitch from Minute Maid Park on Wednesday is scheduled for 8:10 p.m. ET.

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