Latest news with #Jose Altuve
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Astros' Carlos Correa warns opposing fans about booing Jose Altuve
The post Astros' Carlos Correa warns opposing fans about booing Jose Altuve appeared first on ClutchPoints. On Friday night, Jose Altuve has heard it all at Yankee Stadium, and he responded in the best way possible — by launching the first pitch he saw from Cam Schlittler over the fence for a two-run homer. The jeers were expected, but Carlos Correa made it clear afterward: if you're a fan, you might want to think twice about trying to rattle the Astros' longtime second baseman. 'If I'm a fan, I would try to make it feel like a spring training game,' Correa said with a grin, hinting that the boos may only fuel Altuve's performance. Correa did plenty of damage himself in Houston's 5-3, 10-inning win over the Yankees. In the top of the 10th, with the score tied and Altuve as the automatic runner at second, New York's struggling reliever Devin Williams sailed a first-pitch fastball to the backstop, moving Altuve to third. That was all Correa needed to lock in on what was coming next. 'After he yanked the fastball, I knew he was gonna go back to [the changeup],' Correa said. 'If he's gonna get beat, he's gonna get beat with his best pitch, and that's the changeup.' Williams indeed threw three straight changeups. Correa missed the second one to fall behind 1-2, then adjusted his swing to stay through the zone. The next changeup came in low, and Correa lined it up the middle for the go-ahead RBI single. Astros come back to beat the Yankees 'He threw me a really good one, 1-1,' Correa said. 'Then I had to adjust and extend through the zone to get it elevated, and that's what I did.' Taylor Trammell followed later in the inning by crushing another Williams changeup into the seats for a two-run homer, sealing the victory. Trammell credited Correa for setting an example at the plate. 'Since he's gotten here, the at-bats have been just amazing,' Trammell said. 'When you see a guy who's leading the team doing it, it instills a lot of confidence.' Correa's return to Houston at the trade deadline was about more than replacing a bat in the middle of the order. Manager Joe Espada and GM Dana Brown both spoke about the leadership and championship mentality Correa brings back to the clubhouse. Altuve called him 'our leader' upon his arrival, and the Astros have slotted him right into the cleanup spot. In his second stint with Houston, Correa has reached base in four of five plate appearances Friday and is now 11-for-29 with four walks over his last seven games. Altuve praised both his offensive production and defensive excellence, calling the trade 'a great job' by the front office. The win over New York was a full-team effort. Bennett Sousa delivered 1 2/3 innings of key relief, Hader closed out the final two frames, and Altuve set the tone early despite the chorus of boos. Correa's message afterward was simple: Yankee Stadium's hostility might not have the effect fans think — at least not on Altuve. 'It's awesome,' Correa said. 'The rivalry's great. It's always good baseball games when we come here… it's always a good time.' Related: Biggest concern Astros still have after 2025 MLB trade deadline Related: Astros ink former Braves reliever to bolster pen
Yahoo
12-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jose Altuve's 250th career home run
Jose Altuve puts the Astros on the board early with a solo home run to left field, his 250th career home run
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jose Altuve's 250th career home run
Jose Altuve puts the Astros on the board early with a solo home run to left field, his 250th career home run
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jose Altuve's three-run home run (18)
Jose Altuve drills a three-run home run to left field, giving the Astros a 4-1 lead in the bottom of the 2nd inning
New York Times
27-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What I'm hearing on MLB trade deadline: Astros have shown interest in Eugenio Suárez
HOUSTON — Before the Houston Astros opened a series at Chase Field on Monday afternoon, Jose Altuve emerged from the first-base dugout to visit a friend. Eugenio Suárez stopped his conversation, walked over toward his countryman and wrapped him in a hug. Suárez and Altuve played together during the 2023 World Baseball Classic on a Venezuelan national team managed by Astros bench coach Omar López. The trio remains close, providing an obvious connection between the trade deadline's top power-hitting target and a Houston team desperate for a spark. Advertisement Sobering news on Sunday only strengthened Suárez's potential fit. General manager Dana Brown's revelation that third baseman Isaac Paredes is seeking a second opinion for a strained right hamstring that is 'a little more severe than we projected' must prompt at least some concern that Paredes' season is over. Brown never acknowledged as much on Sunday, but it would behoove him to approach the next four days with such a reality in mind. Scoring seven runs in a four-game sweep against the cellar-dwelling A's only accentuated how lean Houston's lineup is without Paredes or the plethora of other injured position players. Losing on Sunday still left the Astros four games up in the American League West and, according to FanGraphs, still with a 54.2 percent chance to win the division. 'I don't think I'm really thinking about (the deadline),' Altuve said after the 7-1 loss. 'I'm thinking about the guys we have here. The guys that are showing up every day to play the game. We're still in first place, so we're going to leave it up to (the front office) and see our guys get healthy at some point and join the club.' Suárez is the most straightforward way to address Paredes' potential season-long absence and, according to multiple league sources, the Astros have at least checked in with the Arizona Diamondbacks to make their interest known. Whether Houston has enough prospect capital to compete with Suárez's slew of other suitors is a legitimate question. Another is perhaps more pertinent: is Suárez even an ideal fit for the Astros' current roster? Brown has not hidden the fact he is searching for a left-handed bat, a stance he reiterated on Sunday. Suárez hits right-handed and is strikeout-prone, problematic for an offense that — at full strength — has no balance and prides itself on putting the ball in play. Advertisement Houston entered Sunday with a 21.1 percent strikeout rate. Major-league average is 21.9 percent. Suárez led the American League in strikeouts in both 2023 and 2024 with the Seattle Mariners and would run counter to one of the hallmarks of this Astros' offense. More concerning, though, is Suárez's defense at third base. According to Baseball Savant, he is worth minus-6 outs above average. Sports Info Solutions says Suárez is worth minus-3 defensive runs saved. The Astros awoke on Sunday with an infield worth 13 outs above average, the second-highest mark in the American League and a byproduct of their intentional offseason. Houston convinced Altuve to abandon second base, signed three-time Gold Glove winning first baseman Christian Walker and hired infield coach Tony Perezchica away from the Diamondbacks — all in an effort to upgrade its infield defense. Acquiring Suárez could threaten that continuity, though perhaps Perezchica has some suggestions on how to make him more serviceable. Perezchica has already received ample praise from team officials about his work with both Paredes and All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña. Make no mistake, though, any team acquiring Suárez is doing so for his slug — something the Astros sorely need. Suárez may be the sexier name, but Minnesota Twins utilityman Willi Castro is also of interest to the Astros and a far better fit for their roster. Castro is a switch-hitter with starts at six different defensive positions this season, versatility that would be valued as the Astros' nine injured position players are activated. Castro has made 26 starts at second base and 25 in left field — the two most unsettled positions on Houston's major-league roster. Castro entered Sunday slashing .254/.344/.425 across 327 plate appearances and without a drastic difference from either side of the plate. He has a .739 OPS hitting left-handed and an .836 mark as a righty, making it more than feasible that he could either form half of a platoon or handle everyday playing time. Advertisement Both Castro and Suárez are rentals being sought after by a bevy of contending teams, again inviting wonder if the Astros can win a bidding war against clubs with deeper farm systems. Though the Tampa Bay Rays had previously shown no indication of moving left-handed hitting second baseman Brandon Lowe, their pre-deadline freefall could change the calculus. If Lowe does become available, expect the Astros to be involved, but the pursuit comes with something of a caveat. Lowe is currently on the injured list with a left foot and ankle problem. The optics of a team with 18 players on the injured list trading for a 19th would be, at best, suspect. Nick Kurtz awoke on Friday morning worth 2.3 wins above replacement, according to FanGraphs. If Kurtz ever fell asleep that night, he did so worth 3.0, offering a modern way to quantify one of the best offensive performances in Major League Baseball history. Kurtz's six-hit, four home run performance propelled him over teammate Jacob Wilson and Boston Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez for the highest fWAR among American League rookies. The mere impact of Kurtz's historic night — and how it will be remembered beyond this weekend — may have sewn up American League Rookie of the Year honors for Kurtz after just 67 major-league games. A resurgence from Cam Smith could shift the conversation. Houston would welcome it for both draft-pick purposes and pursuing a championship. Smith is 5 for his past 51 with four singles and a double. He trails Kurtz, Wilson and Narvaez on the fWAR leaderboard. Concerns about Smith's workload are growing, as is the lack of protection he has in a lineup where he is now one of the few players opponents are circling. Smith has a .641 OPS across his past 119 at-bats. Manager Joe Espada toyed with batting him leadoff after Peña fractured his rib on June 27, but moved Smith down to sixth for Sunday's series finale against the A's. He finished 0-for-3. Advertisement 'I want (him) just to calm down and swing at good pitches and drive the ball,' Espada said before the game. 'Of late, he's chasing a little bit more than we normally see out of him. But when he's in the (strike) zone and he gets his good pitches to hit, we know he's capable of doing some damage.' Smith's swoon should be expected for any rookie, much less one with 32 games of minor-league experience. It also underscores the importance of procuring another outfield option who could spell Smith — either as a method of managing his workload or to provide a better at-bat, if these offensive struggles continue. Left-handed hitting outfield prospect Jacob Melton, who has played in two minor-league rehab games while recovering from a sprained ankle, fits the bill. So could Castro. (Top photo of Eugenio Suárez: Norm Hall / Getty Images)
