Yordan Alvarez was once again the difference-maker for the Houston Astros in a crucial postseason game.

In Game 2 of the ALDS between the Astros and the Seattle Mariners, Alvarez slugged a two-run home run off of a 98-mph sinker pitch from Luis Castillo in the bottom of the sixth inning that proved to be all that the reigning AL champions would need in their 4-2 win.

Alvarez then struck fear into the Mariners two days after he belted a walk-off, three-run home run in Game 1, as manager Scott Servais opted to intentionally walk the left fielder with two outs and a runner on first base in the eighth inning. The All-Star outfielder became just the fifth player in postseason history to be intentionally walked with a runner on first base but not on second or third base.

During his postgame press conference, Astros manager Dusty Baker took some time to react to the Mariners’ decision to grant Alvarez a free pass to first base in the eighth inning. He noted that he “thought about Barry Bonds” with the call.

“Well, I thought about Barry Bonds,” Baker said. “I mean, that was some Barry Bonds-type stuff there. I mean, that's the ultimate respect.”

From Baker's standpoint, he sees that Alvarez simply “likes to be in the big moment.”

“I call him Grande,” Baker said. “He comes up big. We love having him at the plate. He likes to be in the big moment. His concentration and discipline is way ahead of his years. We just love having him.”

Bonds, who was managed by Baker for 10 seasons while with the San Francisco Giants, was accustomed to being intentionally walked over the course of his career. Alvarez has not instilled the same level of fear in opposing managers that Bonds posed, but he is at the least having his way in his postseason career so far.

The Astros will now have a golden opportunity on Saturday to close out the ALDS against the Mariners and clinch a spot in the ALCS. They are looking to pull off a run to the World Series for the third time in the last four seasons.