Since 1908, only three players have collected four or more home runs within the first five games of their career: Mike Jacobs (2005), Yasiel Puig (2013), and most recently, Trevor Story (who improved that record with six home runs in 2016). On Saturday, Astros designated hitter and outfielder Yordan Álvarez became the fourth member of that exclusive club, belting a Clayton Richard slider out to the upper deck in right field and boosting the Astros to a 3-0 lead in the third.
Álvarez, 21, has been on a tear ever since his MLB debut with the club last Sunday. He collected two-run homers off of Dylan Bundy and Matt Albers during his first two career games, then went 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and another two-run home run in Friday’s series opener against the Blue Jays. He decorated his efforts on Saturday with two more singles in the fifth and seventh innings, though nothing ultimately came of either hit.
Following their 7-2 win over Toronto, the Astros improved to 48-23 on the season and kept their hold on the AL West with a 10-game lead over the second-place Rangers. They’ll go for the sweep on Sunday, when Brad Peacock is scheduled to go up against Trent Thornton for the finale at 2:10 PM EDT.
