ARLINGTON, Texas — Love him or hate him, cheer for him or boo mightily as he strides to the plate, it simply doesn't matter. Taking all of the emotions out of it and looking strictly at the numbers, Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros is arguably the most clutch postseason hitter in MLB history.
Sure, that's a wide-ranging statement, but the numbers are there to show that Altuve has now played in 101 postseason games after Friday's Game 5 ALCS matchup against the Texas Rangers. He has also hit 26 home runs in those 101 games, second in long balls to only to Manny Ramirez, who smacked 29 homers in 111 postseason games.
Three of those homers, however, have been direction-changers for the Astros, including Friday's ninth-inning home run that turned Globe Life Field on its collective ear and propelled Houston to a 5-4 comeback victory, its third straight win and a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven Lone Star State series.
Jose Altuve once again raises Houston Astros to postseason victory
Sure, there was plenty that happened on Friday night, including an eighth-inning benches-clearing moment after Adolis Garcia had lifted the Rangers back into the lead. However, when it all boiled down to the moment that mattered in the contest, it once again came down to Altuve.
"No big moment is too big of a moment," teammate Mauricio Dubon said of Altuve. "If he's not a first-ballot (Hall of Famer), I don't know who should be voting."
Reliever Ryan Pressly, who earned Friday's win after the emotional eighth and highlight-reel ninth treated the crowd to a roller coaster ride, said that Altuve "thrives" in situations where others might hide in the shadows.
"The moment never gets too big. He thrives in these kinds of situations," Pressly said. "We had the right guy up and saw the magic that happened.
"I don't know how to explain it. I don't know how you guys (media) can try to explain it. You guys have seen it just as many times, but it's just one of those things where everything seems to be in slow motion for him."
Alex Bregman, who has been a teammate of Altuve's since 2016, was asked if there was anything that Altuve would do on the field that would surprise him after their eight seasons playing together.
"Not really," Bregman smiled. "He has a slow heartbeat and confidence in himself. The game is really slow for him. He's just incredible.
"I feel like I lose the words to say about him, but I feel like he is always just focused. He never gets too high or too low. I think what makes him so great is that if he's not playing well, he doesn't get down. If he's playing great, he doesn't get too high. He stays even keel throughout and I think everyone in here strives to be like that because it's only the special players who are like that."
And did Bregman expect him to hit a home run in the ninth inning?
"Yeah," Bregman smiled.
Listed at 5-foot-6, Altuve may not be tall when compared to other MLB players, but when the lights turn on in October, he certainly stands head and shoulders above the rest.
