Yordan Alvarez Reaches 40 Home Runs and Keeps Triple Crown Pursuit Alive

Since he hit Seth Lugo’s fastball, Yordan Alvarez knew that ball was out of the park. The hit came off at 107.2 mph and landed 385 feet into right field, right in the second-level seats at Daikin Park to give Houston a 4-1 lead over the Kansas City Royals earlier this week.

Thus continued Alvarez's pursuit of the Triple Crown—the last one was won by Miguel Cabrera in 2012 with the Detroit Tigers in the American League—, hitting his 40th home run of the season to join a select club in the history of the Astros and players born in Cuba.

He became just the fifth player in Astros history to reach that mark:

• Jeff Bagwell — 47 (2000), 43 (1997), 42 (1999)

• Lance Berkman — 45 (2006), 42 (2002)

• Richard Hidalgo — 44 (2000)

• Alex Bregman — 41 (2019)

• Yordan Alvarez — 40 (2026)

Houston Astros first baseman Jeff Bagwell. Mandatory Credit: RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Hall of Fame member, Jeff Bagwell, was the first Houston hitter to hit 40 or more home runs in a season, when he achieved the feat with 43 home runs in 1997, at 29 years old. In his entire career, he finished recording three similar seasons (1997, 1999 and 2000).

The 47 home runs he hit in the 2000 season remained marked as the most in club history. Richard Hidalgo (44 HR in 2000) and Alex Bregman (41 in 2019) have been the youngest hitters to enter the club, both at 25 years old. But this season, he has made the difference in an unprecedented season for a 40-home-run hitter who has worn the Astros uniform, as he leads the league with an offensive line of .311/.429/.598, 1.027 OPS, 189 OPS+, 319 total bases, 103 walks and 32 intentional walks.

Yordan Álvarez has reached 40 home runs for the first time in his career.

He becomes just the 5th player in Astros history to reach that mark:

• Jeff Bagwell — 47 (2000), 43 (1997), 42 (1999)
• Lance Berkman — 45 (2006), 42 (2002)
• Richard Hidalgo — 44 (2000)
• Alex… pic.twitter.com/B6H5keFtgC
— Yirsandy Rodríguez (@Yirsandy) September 18, 2026

After going through a slump in his home run production, with only five in the last 40 games, Alvarez has heated up again with a pair of home runs in his last 10 at-bats, both in the series that Houston won 2-1 against the Royals. Now he is one home run away from tying Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, who leads the American League with 41, and three RBIs away from reaching Pete Alonso (102).

Houston has eight games remaining to finish the regular season, two more against the Atlanta Braves at home, a two-game road trip against the Seattle Mariners and four against the Athletics.

Another Chapter of Glory Among Cuban Hitters

Texas Rangers right fielder Adolis Garcia (53). Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

Alvarez also joined the list of only four Cuban-born hitters who have hit at least 40 home runs in the Majors. The legendary Cooperstown Hall of Fame member, Tony Pérez, was the first Cuban-born hitter to hit at least 40 home runs in a season, when he reached the milestone in the 1970 season with the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine.”

Eighteen years later, José Canseco appears on the historical list, at just 23 years old, in his historic 40-40 season (42 home runs and 40 stolen bases), wearing the Oakland Athletics uniform in 1988.

Canseco entered the club four times, repeating the feat with 41 home runs in 1991 and 46 in 1998. Another who reached the milestone was Rafael Palmeiro, who leads the group of Cuban hitters with four 40-home-run seasons (1998-1999 and 2000 and 2002). Seventeen years later, Jorge Soler hit 48 home runs with the Royals and took ownership of the record for Cubans in a single season, leaving behind Palmeiro’s 47-home-run seasons in 1999 and 2001.

For the first time in the club, Alvarez can go much farther if he manages to regain his home run pace in these last nine games. Before reaching the August and September stretch, his worst month in production had been June when he hit six home runs in 26 games. However, as we saw before, he has been able to take only five balls out of the park since August 1 until now, and that has made the race against Caminero become much more attractive.

Alvarez still has the possibility of reaching a Triple Crown by leading all three offensive categories in all of MLB, a feat that no hitter has accomplished since Mickey Mantle with the New York Yankees in 1956 (.353 BA, 52 HR, 130 RBI).

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