José Altuve was the hero for the Houston Astros in Game 5 of the ALCS. Down 4-2 in the top of the ninth, he launched a three-run homer off closer José Leclerc to stick the dagger in the Texas Rangers, giving the Astros a massive win to take a 3-2 lead in the series. But Altuve gave the credit to his teammates who put him in position to be the go-ahead run in that spot.
“I know everybody is talking about the homer, but if you go and see Díaz's base hit and Singleton's walk, especially when he hasn't played in a lot of days, and coming from the bench facing one of the best closers in the playoffs…” Altuve said. “I think the key was these two guys.”
In a sense, he's right. No outs, top of the ninth, tight game, José Leclerc simply can't afford to put two pinch-hitters on base with the lethal top half of the Astros lineup looming. Before 2023, Jon Singleton's last major league at-bat was in 2015. In 105 plate appearances this year, Singleton hit .165. This was his first at-bat in the 2023 playoffs. You absolutely cannot give up a walk in that situation and put Jose Altuve, of all people, at the plate as the go-ahead run.
As for Altuve's postseason, he had struggled at the plate coming into this at-bat. He was .237 heading into that ninth inning spot. 0-4 on the night. But when the calendar rolls over to October, nobody is better than Altuve. Yet another clutch homer to add to his seemingly endless list of high-leverage heroics was written in the stars before he ever stepped in the batter's box.
Sure enough, Leclerc's 0-1 changeup caught too much of the plate. Altuve quickly surpassed Adolis Garcia's sixth-inning shot with the most important swing of the 2023 season. We can't overstate the gravity of that momentum-shift for this series. The loser of such an emotionally charged, back-and-forth game is always going to struggle to bounce back. Now, the Astros head home with a 3-2 lead and two chances to book their fifth World Series trip in seven years.
This game was a microcosm of this seven-year dynasty run by the Astros. Backs against the wall, and the face of the franchise delivered yet again under the brightest lights. Sure, Yainer Diaz and Jon Singleton had to get on base to set the moment up. But how many players in today's MLB are hitting a home run in that spot? Five? Three? Only one?
Altuve is now just three home runs away from tying Manny Ramirez for the most in MLB postseason history. Think about that for a second. The only player in baseball's century and a half of history with more postseason jacks than Altuve is Ramirez? He's as clutch as they come.
Follow Us
Subscribe