Yordan Álvarez has been the pulse of the Houston Astros offense this postseason, the giant from Las Tunas, Cuba is hitting a robust .407 with six longballs and 10 runs batted in during this phase of the MLB tournament.
During last tonight’s contest a 8-5 win by the Houston the slugger collected two hits and knocked in two runs to pace the team from Space City pulling a game away from tying the ALCS. Álvarez over his short career has been a stalwart with the lumber for the ‘Stros driving in 36 runs in only 191 postseason at-bats.
Before yesterday’s game Álvarez spoke to the media in attendance at Globe Life Field and had a few things to say about his performance in the series. Below are the excerpts from that session.
Yordaddy always comes through. pic.twitter.com/0Ui5wHtSqq
— Houston Astros (@astros) October 19, 2023
Do you know the difference in the way you’re pitching depending who hits behind you, the way you get attacked or pitch around, does that even matter to you, who is hitting behind you?
No, I think every single time I go out there I try to find a good pitch in the zone to make contact, a good pitch to hit. And if it’s in the zone, I’m going to try to hit it, and that’s just really my plan.
You’ve had some great postseasons and hit some very big postseason home runs. Is there something different in the way you approach October baseball, or is it just you at the time?
I think the only difference is that I’ve probably gained a little more experience since the first time I made it to the postseason. And like I’ve said in the past, sometimes in the postseason there are situations that only either the pitcher or hitter can manage and can handle in that situation.
But for me, I think maybe a little bit of difference, the mentality, like I said, just trying to look for a good pitch and a good pitch to make contact.
How are you feeling physically entering Game 3? Did you feel like your sickness or virus or anything was bothering you in Game 2?
Physically I feel well. I feel fine physically. About the other stuff, I don’t give too many details about that. It’s in the past. It’s something intimate within the team. I don’t really know how that got out.
What did you think of seeing Kyle Tucker move down in the lineup today, and how do you think he’ll respond?
He’s hit there before in the lineup. And I don’t think it’s anything to do with his performance. Everybody knows how he is, and everybody that plays baseball, everybody understands that everyone goes through highs and lows.