ANAHEIM, CA — Even though the Los Angeles Angels have been eliminated from the postseason, they are still a threat to any contender like these Houston Astros. It is always said that any team can beat any other team on any given day. Houston has seven games left with these Angels, three with San Diego, three with Seattle, who they lead by 4.5 games in the AL West, and end the season with three in Cleveland. So, any loss this weekend could make it close for a spot for them in the postseason.
Tonight, Angels starter Tyler Anderson was greeted with a bunt single by 2017 American League LatinoMVP José Altuve, Maracay, Venezuela. Altuve then stole second base, advanced to third on a fielder’s choice, and scored on a wild pitch.
José Altuve, recipient of 2017 AL LatinoMVP – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
That, my friends, is how you manufacture a run. Something we don’t see much of in today’s analytical baseball. There is no launch angle, exit velocity, or measured distance. My goodness, the young nerds who run baseball must be scrambling to figure out what just happened. They will probably petition the Commissioner’s office to make bunting illegal. “Too confusing for the fans. It’s not in our script we give each manager for every game, not fare!”
The Angels did their version of manufacturing runs against future Hall of Fame starter Jason Verlander with smart base-running and timely base hits to take a 2-1 lead after four innings. But 2022 AL LatinoMVP Yordan Álvarez, Las Tunas, Cuba, would not have any of that. He promptly deposited a 432-foot two-run home run into the right-field bleachers that looked like it was shot out of a cannon to take back the lead.
TRUST IN THE YORD. pic.twitter.com/W96irfXIGW
— Houston Astros (@astros) September 15, 2024
Adding a solo home run in the ninth-inning pinch-hitter, Kyle Tucker hit the first pitch he saw that traveled 403 feet into the center field bleachers to add to the lead. The boys from Texas took game two 5-3 and will send out Ronel Blanco, Santiago, Dominican Republic, for the finale tomorrow. The Astros organization has invested heavily in Latin American players over the past ten years, which is why they are at the top of the heap every year.
Astros’ catcher Yainer Diaz (2023 AL LatinoMVP Rookie of the Year), and right-hander Ronel Blanco, pose for a photo together following Blanco’s no-hitter this past April – Image Credit: MLB
Note: The win by the Astros was number 5,001 in franchise history, the eighteenth team in MLB history to do that.
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