AIR YORDAN!
Yordan Alvarez homers twice in Astros' victory over Twins
Jun 1, 2024, 6:00 pm
AIR YORDAN!
Framber Valdez pitched no-hit ball into the seventh inning and Yordan Alvarez hit two of Houston’s four homersin the Astros' 5-2 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.
Valdez (4-3) didn’t allow a hit until a single to start the seventh. He yielded the two hits and a run with four strikeouts in seven innings.
Alvarez hit a two-run home run off Joe Ryan (4-4) in the first and his solo shot off the starter in the fifth inning made it 5-0. It’s the third multi-homer game of the season for Alvarez and 18th of his career.
AirYordan pic.twitter.com/6E6bl0cbBk
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 1, 2024
Struggling first baseman José Abreu hit his first home run and second extra-base hit of the season in the second inning. Kyle Tucker added a homer in the third to give him 19 this season, which ranks second in the majors behind Aaron Judge’s 20.
Abreu goes deep!!! pic.twitter.com/yg8J0UfrtO
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 1, 2024
Houston led 5-2 with one out in the ninth when Jake Meyers made a leaping catch at wall in center field to rob Byron Buxton of a homer. Closer Josh Hader raised both arms high in the air after the catch and Buxton, a fellow center fielder, tipped his helmet to Meyers.
JAKE MEYERS ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!??? pic.twitter.com/tmuMBbNe9e
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 1, 2024
Hader then struck out Willi Castro to get his eighth save.
Valdez sailed through the first six innings. He walked Manuel Margot to start the fourth and plunked Kyle Farmer to open the sixth but has faced the minimum thanks to double plays in both innings.
Valdez got some help from his defense for the first out of the third. Tucker made a leaping catch just before crashing into the right field wall on a fly ball hit by Farmer.
The Twins got their first hit when Margot singled on a grounder to center field to start the seventh. Margot moved to second on a wild pitch with one out before scoring on a two-out single by Jose Miranda that cut the lead to 5-1.
An RBI single by Carlos Correa got the Twins within 5-2 with two outs in the eighth.
Tucker walked in the first before the first homer by Alvarez made it 2-0.
There were two outs in the second when Abreu’s shot pushed the lead to 3-0. Abreu was playing his fourth game in the majors after spending almost a month in the minors to work on his swing after a terrible start to the season.
Tucker’s home run to right center came with one out in the third to make it 4-0. There were two outs in the fifth when Alvarez connected again.
Ryan yielded eight hits, including four homers and five runs — all season highs — in five innings.
UP NEXT
Minnesota RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (2-0, 2.70 ERA), who is from suburban Houston, was set to face RHP Hunter Brown (1-5, 6.39) when the series concludes Sunday.
Jose Altuve has passed Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell for second place on the career hits list for the Houston Astros.
With a bunt single in the first inning and a two-run single in the sixth on Wednesday night at Colorado, Altuve raised his career total to 2,315 hits, one more than Bagwell. Hall of Famer Craig Biggio is the franchise leader with 3,060 career hits.
You can relive the big moment in the video below!
He does it!
Jose Altuve is now 2nd in the Astros all time hit list. pic.twitter.com/ZNJVGcTjWp
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 3, 2025
Altuve, a nine-time All-Star who moved this season from second base to left field, is in his 15th major league season, all with Houston. Both Biggio and Bagwell also spent their entire careers with the Astros.
Among active players, Altuve is second in career hits behind Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who had 2,351 entering Wednesday.
Altuve caught up with MLB.com's Brian McTaggart after the game.
Jose Altuve got a congratulatory text message postgame from Jeff Bagwell after passing him on the Astros’ all-time hits list. pic.twitter.com/KtKk28SZEt
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 3, 2025
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