In the Astros' 15-0 win over the Athletics on Monday, rookie slugger Yordan Alvarez went 2 for 5 with two home runs. One of those homers was a record-setting blast. The shot had a 113.5 mph exit velocity with a 36 degree launch angle, and the ball Alvarez crushed landed in the upper deck in right field at Minute Maid Park.
Here's a closer look at where the ball landed:
Yordan Alvarez just became the second player and the first Astro to hit a homer into the right field upper deck at 416 ft. Jeromy Burnitz was the first player to do so back on 9/29/00 (424 ft.) pic.twitter.com/q6t0GlWNWo
— Mike Acosta (@AstrosTalk) September 10, 2019
Alvarez set the franchise record for rookie home runs in a season with his first homer in the game, and the two-dinger night brought his season total to 24 in just 71 games. Alvarez broke Carlos Correa's rookie record (22 HRs, 99 games) from 2015, the season in which he took home the AL Rookie of the Year award.
"I wasn't thinking about it at the time, but I went back to the dugout and someone told me," Alvarez told MLB.com's Brian McTaggart after the game. "I went to look for Correa, and he congratulated me and we hugged it out. It was a great moment."
Alvarez, 22, got his call-up to the big leagues on June 9. He homered against the Orioles in his MLB debut, and he hasn't slowed down since. Alvarez was acquired in a 2016 trade deadline move when the Dodgers agreed to trade him to Houston for reliever Josh Fields. He has a .316/.409/.673 (178 OPS+) slash line in 308 plate appearances.
Alvarez's two-homer game was part of a record-breaking game for the Astros. Houston tied a franchise record by hitting seven home runs in Monday's win, the team's fifth win a row. Six of the club's homers came in the first two innings, marking the first time in MLB history that feat has been accomplished. Alex Bregman, Alvarez and Robinson Chirinos went yard in the first inning. Jose Altuve, Michael Brantley and Alvarez (again) contributed three more home runs in the second inning.
The Astros (95-50) also set a franchise record for most runs scored in a two-game span (36) after Sunday's 21-1 win against the Mariners.
