Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve recorded an unusual extra-base hit during the third inning of Friday night’s game against the Chicago White Sox (GameTracker). Altuve laced a 108.4 mph line drive off White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet that barreled through the out-of-town scoreboard — specifically the New York Yankees’ fourth-inning run total against the Detroit Tigers.
Altuve was, in turn, awarded a ground-rule double for his efforts. Take a look:
Altuve, 34, entered Friday hitting .298/.349/.435 (122 OPS+) with 15 home runs, 50 runs batted in, and 15 stolen bases (on 20 tries). His contributions had been worth an estimated 2.6 Wins Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference.
The Astros came into Friday’s game with a 65-55 record on the year, giving them a three-game edge in the American League West over the Seattle Mariners. The Astros have been particularly good as of late, racing off to a 9-3 start to August that included eight consecutive wins coming into Friday night’s contest.
Houston’s winning streak was in danger as of publication time. The White Sox led by a 4-1 margin heading into the bottom half of the fifth inning, in part the result of a pair of home runs from Chicago center fielder Luis Robert Jr. against Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti.
