HOUSTON — With every big hit, Yordon Alvarez takes over this October.
The rebound of the powerful Cuban slugger, who suffered so much during Houston’s loss to the Atlanta Braves in the last World Series, is increasingly surprising.
Alvarez flashed his bat again in the sixth inning off Luis Castillo, a two-run homer in the sixth inning, and the Astros beat the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Thursday to extend their lead in the American League Division Series to 2-0.
“I call him ‘Big,'” said manager Dusty Baker, who pronounced the nickname in Spanish. “He’s a big responder. We love having him at the plate. He loves going out there in big moments. His focus and discipline are remarkable for his age.”
Cuban became the hero of Game 1 with a two-out, three-run shot off eventual AL Cy Young Trophy winner Robbie Ray in the ninth inning.
That win gave Houston an 8-7 win, and the Astros lost by four.
In the last Fall Classic, which Atlanta was crowned after six duels, Alvarez hit just .100 (2-for-20) with no home runs and six strikeouts.
Now, with everyone talking about him, the 25-year-old was asked to describe his virtues in the batting box.
“I’d say I’m smart,” he replied. “When I go to the plate, I try to visualize the different results I can get when I hit. If everything goes according to plan, the result is positive.”
Castillo, acquired from the Reds before the trade deadline, pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings against Toronto in the wild-card round to reach the contest. This time, the Dominican allowed an early home run to Kyle Tucker, though he gave up little and entered the sixth inning with a 2-1 lead.
But with two outs, Jeremy Pena singled. The ball fell between second baseman Adam Brazier and Dominican center fielder Julio Rodriguez.
Castillo crouched down and slapped his feet, expressing his disappointment that an innocuous ball had turned into a strike.
Alvarez, who came next, found a pitch at 98 mph and sent the ball through left field to give the Astros a 3-2 lead.
Alvarez, who had 37 homers in the regular season, wandered around the bases as TV cameras pointed to his parents in their first regular season series since arriving from Cuba in August. The left-hander pointed to where he was in the stands when he reached home plate.
Later, he parlayed a power swing into the Astros’ sixth straight American League Championship Series victory.
For the Mariners, Dominicans Julio Rodriguez 5-1, Carlos Santana 3-1 RBI. Venezuela’s Eugenio Suarez scored a run to make it 3-0.
For the Astros, Venezuelan Jose Altuve is 4-0. Dominican Jeremy Pena scored two runs to make it 3-2. Cuba’s Yorden Alvarez 3-1 had a run scored and two RBIs Yuli Kuriel 3-0, Aledmis Diaz 3-1. Puerto Rican Martin Maldonado is 3-0.
