Alvarez Just Hit His 11th Bomb and Tied a Franchise Record That's Been Standing Since Lance Berkman

Yordan Alvarez is on an absolute tear right now, and the Astros are riding his hot bat straight through the AL. The reigning home run leader just crushed his 11th dinger of the season on Wednesday at Progressive Field, a two-run shot that sent Houston past Cleveland 2-0 in their series finale. This wasn't just any homer either. Alvarez is now tied with Lance Berkman for the most home runs through 26 games in franchise history. Let that sink in.

The Man Is Playing a Different Game Right Now

Alvarez went 3-for-4 on the day and raised his batting average to .347. More importantly, he's on an eight-game hitting streak where he's absolutely demolishing pitching. Over that stretch, he's batting .385 with five homers and 16 RBIs. The three-time All-Star isn't just swinging it well, he's hitting at a level that makes opposing pitchers lose sleep.

The big blow came in the first inning off Tanner Bibee, who dropped to 0-3. Alvarez got into a 1-2 fastball and sent it deep to right-center. Statcast clocked the exit velocity at 108.8 mph and pegged the distance at 422 feet. It was a no-doubter the second he connected, with Carlos Correa scoring from second on the two-run shot.

Houston's Pitching Locked It Down

Peter Lambert was stellar on the mound, allowing just three hits over six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts. The right-hander picked up his first win since April 8, 2024, when he was with Colorado. He'd spent the last two years pitching in the Korean Baseball Organization, and it looks like he's ready to make an impact in the majors again.

With the win, the Astros took two of three in the series and improved to 6-2 at Progressive Field since 2024.

Meanwhile, Logan Gilbert Had a Day to Remember

In Wednesday's game against Oakland, Gilbert somehow managed to "catch" a line drive back up the middle from A's right fielder Carlos Cortes inside the buttons of his jersey in the first inning. The ball came off Cortes' bat at 107.8 mph, and Gilbert had absolutely no idea where it went at first. He started searching frantically around the mound before realizing the ball had gotten lodged in his uniform. He reached between the buttons and pulled it out like a magician.

Here's the thing though: Cortes was still credited with a base hit and awarded first base. The umpire called time immediately and invoked the MLB Umpire Manual's Rule Interpretations, which say a ball that goes inside a player's uniform is deemed out of play. From there, it's the umpire's discretion to place runners. It's happened before, too. Yadier Molina had a ball get stuck in his chest protector back in 2017 and was just as confused as Gilbert was.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.