Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve homered on the first pitch he saw to give the Astros an early lead over the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS:

After Astros leadoff man George Springer grounded out to begin the game, Altuve ripped a hanging slider off of Yankee starter Luis Severino, parking it into the bullpen in left-center field.

The first-inning bomb gives Altuve four homers in the 2019 postseason, and 12 for his playoff career.

Altuve has traditionally been one of the best first-pitch hitters in baseball. He slashed .337/.337/.663 with seven homers and ten doubles against the first pitch during the regular season, and he has done damage once again during the 2019 postseason.

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The 2017 AL MVP was arguably Houston's best hitter during the ALDS, where he slashed .350/.381/.900 with three homers and five RBIs.

Altuve provided early run support for Astros starter Gerrit Cole with an RBI single, then followed a Michael Brantley home run with a homer of his own to give the Astros a 5-1 lead in the eighth inning. The postseason success has carried over to the ALCS, as Altuve had collected three hits in the first two games of the series.

Given how dominant Gerrit Cole–who is starting Game 3 for the Astros–has been during the playoffs, Altuve's early blow could prove to be the turning point in this pivotal contest. Then again, Cole will be tasked with facing a deep Yankee lineup and a hostile New York crowd.

Regardless, Altuve keeps coming up big on the playoff stage.