Yordan Alvarez has been having a season for the ages, and Friday night in Kansas City he took it to another level.
In the first inning alone, Alvarez hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and drove in six runs. He became the first player in MLB history to hit a grand slam and a multi-run homer in the first inning of a game, per ESPN. He is now tied with Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead with 24 home runs.
To put that first inning in perspective, the Astros scored nine runs before the Royals even had a chance to respond. The inning lasted 48 minutes, featured 98 total pitches, and produced 14 combined runs, the third most in a first inning since 1974.
Alvarez is batting .316 with 24 home runs and 54 RBI on the season, per MLB. The AL MVP race is his to win, and Friday night is exactly why.
He is also the third Astro to hit two home runs in a single inning since 1974, joining some elite company in franchise history. That is the kind of night that gets remembered for a long time.
The Astros have had some incredible individual performances over the years, but Friday night belongs in the conversation. Yordan Alvarez is playing at a level that is genuinely historic, and Astros fans are watching something special. The second half of this season is going to be very interesting if he keeps this up.
