Houston Astros second baseman José Altuve has accomplished a lot in his career. But heading into Monday’s game against the Boston Red Sox, he had never hit for the cycle. That is no longer the case.
With a double in the third inning and a single in the fifth, Altuve left the biggest two legs of the cycle for the end of the game. In the sixth inning, he got the triple, generally regarded as the toughest leg. That left only the home run unclaimed.
Altuve came to the plate in the top of the eighth inning and drilled a 1-1 pitch from Boston’s Kyle Barraclough over the Green Monster.
Jose Altuve needed a home run to complete the cycle. He got it. pic.twitter.com/9spZpUb1ga
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) August 29, 2023
With that, the cycle was complete.
OH MY JOSE ALTUVE
— Houston Astros (@astros) August 29, 2023
Jose Altuve. The Legend continues.
With his eighth-inning homer, he has hit for the cycle for the first time in his Major League career.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 29, 2023
THE FIRST CAREER CYCLE FOR JOSE ALTUVE.
He becomes the 1st #Astros player to do it in over 10 years!
The GOAT adds to his legendary resume2 RBI triple
2 run HR out of Fenway Park
Double on the 1st pitch of the 3rd
Single to lead off 5th#Ready2Reign pic.twitter.com/kNbrsIaFY1— Maanav Gupta (@MGSportsTalk) August 29, 2023
JOSE ALTUVE HITS FOR THE CYCLE AT AGE 33!!
PUT HIM IN COOPERSTOWN
pic.twitter.com/7gCzC2mrQQ— MLB Metrics (@MLBMetrics) August 29, 2023
While it was a great day for Altuve, it was an utter disaster for Barraclough. The Red Sox pitcher went 4.1 innings in relief of Chris Sale, allowing 10 runs on 11 hits with five walks.
Getting to Barraclough not only helped Altuve complete the final two legs of the cycle but also helped the Astros win. Heading into the sixth inning, Boston led Houston 4-3. Altuve’s triple drove in two runs, giving the Astros the lead. He then scored on a three-run home run from Yordan Álvarez, part of a six-run inning for the Astros.
