ESPN News Services29. Aug 2023, 10:482 minutes read
Jose Altuve hits first Astros cycle since 2013
Jose Altuve drives in four heats, ending the Astros’ win over the Red Sox with one cycle.
BOSTON — Jose Altuve hit a two-run home run over the Green Monster in the eighth inning of Monday night’s 13-5 win over the Boston Red Sox, becoming only the ninth Houston Astros player to hit a hit this cycle.
Altuve is the first Houston player to do so since Brandon Barnes against the Seattle Mariners on July 19, 2013. Second place for the Astros that day went to Altuve, then 23rd.
Now 33, Altuve, a former MVP and three-time batting champion, struck out with a swing Monday to put the game ahead, followed by a double in the third inning, a single in the fifth and a triple in the sixth.
He said that when he went to the plate in the eighth field he was well aware of his personal scoreboard.
“It’s a bit like in your head, but you don’t want to change your whole approach,” he said. “I was just thinking about getting a pitch and trying to push it.”
Astros manager Dusty Baker said it’s good because he’s seen Altuve swing the bat since returning in May after a 43-game absence with a broken thumb.
Altuve went 4-for-6 with four RBIs, his third four-hit game of the season and 37th of his career. It was only the third time in nine games that he had scored multiple goals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.