Today’s stats: 2-4, 2B, RBI, R, BB

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At bat 1 (Top of first): 5 pitch flyout to left

Yordan first came up in the top of the first with Pena reaching on a single to face Nestor Cortes. The at bat started with a first pitch “cutter” at 85 MPH inside and high that Yordan took for a ball, and then consecutive low mediocre fastballs Yordan fouled off to put him down 1-2. After staring down yet another fastball that was nowhere close, Nestor finally threw a pitch over 90 MPH to Yordan, but it was yet another below average fastball low in the zone. Unfortunately, Yordan was late on his swing and hit a routine fly ball to left for the second out of the inning. So far in the series, Yordan has commanded the top half of the zone but has missed some routine hittable pitches low and away. Given how Cortes pitched to him though (pitches that were clearly missing their spots and hittable) I think Yordan will do fine today long term.

At bat 2 (Top of third): 4 pitch double to right, R

Coming up again vs Cortes, this time with the game tied 3 all, Yordan again received a steady diet of low pitches in the 80s to start the at bat, as he watched two borderline ones go by for balls while being fooled by one down and away. After the results of the previous two at bats, it was surprising to see Cortes throw a fastball inside and high next, as Yordan was clearly seeing the pitch well. Unsurprisingly, Yordan pounced early, driving it down the line for an easy double that continued the rally. He would later come in to score on a Gurriel single to take the lead.

At bat 3 (Top of fifth): 6 pitch walk

With Cortes knocked out of the game, Yordan instead had to face Wandy Peralta in an obvious LOOGY situation to begin the inning. Despite the platoon disadvantage, Yordan started the at bat by watching 3 straight pitches low and nowhere close to take a commanding 3-0 advantage. Afterwards, however, he took a gimme fastball for a strike and then fouled off an early inside changeup to make the count full. Once again though, Yordan’s mastery of the top of the zone won him the battle, as he watched a high offspeed pitch just out of the zone to take the base. Unfortunately, he would be immediately erased on a double play by Alex Bregman, but it’s encouraging to see him methodically picking and choosing pitches to attack, something he hasn’t really shown in the previous two games.

At bat 4 (Top of seventh): 1 pitch single to right, RBI

Coming up in a huge spot with multiple runners on and a 1 run deficit, Yordan faced off against Jonathan Loaisiga, a notoriously inconsistent fastball merchant. After his struggles on hittable low pitches, especially fastballs, throughout the series, it was only fitting that he figured one out right when it mattered, as he smoked a first pitch fastball inside for an easy single past the shifted defense to score Altuve and tie the game. A huge hit for him here, tying the game and seemingly sucking the energy out of Yankee stadium. He would move to second on a Bregman single that gave the Astros the lead, but fail to score as Tucker and Gurriel grounded out to end the inning.

At bat 5 (Top of ninth): 1 pitch groundout to shortstop

With two outs (thanks to some egregious baserunning by Altuve resulting in a DP) Yordan came up in a precarious situation, with an insurance run not needed but badly wanted. Unfortunately, he would swing away on a fastball middle middle and hit a weak grounder to the shortstop for the routine out to end the inning. Thankfully, an insurance run would not be needed, as Pressley closed out the side to end the game and send the Astros to their 4th world series in 6 years.

And that ends Yordan’s ALCS. While it was nowhere close to his dominance in the division series, he seemed to put it together near the end and get a lot of good swings off this game, which gives me hope for the World Series vs the Phillies. Going to be a very interesting matchup, hopefully I can finally end a Daily dose of Yordan with him as a champion and World Series MVP. Until then, go Astros 🤟

Today’s stats: 0-2, 2 BB, K

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At bat 1 (bottom of first): 4 pitch walk

Coming up for the first time to bat against Taillon, Yordan’s first at bat was a quick one, as Taillon refused to throw him anything over the heart of the plate he could hit. Yordan took 4 consecutive inside pitches, all out of the zone and nibbling the outside corners, to take first base. He would not score, however, as despite runners on first and second Bregman and Tucker got out to end the inning.

At bat 2 (bottom of third): 2 pitch flyout to center

Taillon again started the at bat off by nibbling the corner on a fastball up, but this time it caught the zone for strike one. On the next pitch, Yordan swung away again on a similar fastball high but in the zone, but wasn’t able to barrel it up in time, resulting in a well hit but routine fly ball that was caught for the first out of the inning.

At bat 3 (bottom of fifth): Intentional walk

With Pena having reached on a double to chase Taillon out of the game, Yordan came up to face Clark Schmidt in a critical chance to break the tie. Unfortunately, he would get no shot to do so, as Aaron Boone wisely chose to intentionally walk him to set up the double play. This would end up working out, as Tucker would later ground into a double play that ended the inning and kept the game scoreless. Overall a quiet night for Yordan, but he’s done his job to keep the chains moving on the limited diet the Yankees have given him.

At bat 4 (bottom of seventh): 5 pitch swinging strikeout

Late in the game and looking to widen the lead after a Pena homer in front of him, Yordan finally got a chance to get hittable pitches, with Frankie Montas having to pitch to him. In contrast to Taillon’s upper corner nibbling, Montas chose to throw low to Yordan, with two consecutive fastballs low (one obviously outside, another called a borderline strike) to put him in a 1-1 count. Then Yordan had an uncharacteristic swing and miss on a splitter away, likely due to his rust and surprise at seeing an offspeed pitch low in his usual sweet spot. Montas then threw back to back fastballs high, one that Yordan hard fouled to keep alive but another that he simply waved at for a strikeout.

Despite the mediocre counting stats, I think Yordan did a decent job today considering the pitches he was given and the chances he had. The Yankees made it very clear early that Yordan was not going to get any drivable pitches, and despite this, he made decent contact on the fastballs he could find, while also spitting on the inside junk that would have been easy ground balls had he swung, The Astros were able to get the job done today largely without him, so this gives me hope that with an adjusted plate approach and some time he’ll be able to make an impact even without swinging the bat.

Game stats: 1-3, HR, 2 RBIs, R, IBB

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 5 pitch groundout to pitcher

Starting off the game with no one on vs Castillo, Yordan began the at bat by hard fouling off a fastball outside, before a bad miss at a slider away put him down 0-2. Seemingly unfazed, Yordan battled back, taking back to back fastballs (one inside, one away) to even the count before hitting a weak dribbler right to Castillo off a low offspeed. Not exactly the outcome he was looking for, but he did do a good job recognizing Castillo’s fastball and battling back, which gives me hope for his next at bats.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 4 pitch flyout to left

Yordan started the at bat by taking back to back low offspeed pitches for balls to put him in ahead 2-0. Then Castillo threw the same pitch, except slightly higher in the zone, invoking a late swing and miss from Yordan. After 3 straight offspeeds down and away, Castillo threw a heater high in the zone and Yordan swung late but hard, hitting a shallow fly ball for the first out of the inning.

At bat 3 (Bottom of sixth): 2 pitch home run to left, 2 RBIs, R

After a 2 out single by Pena, Yordan got a chance to come up with runners on and one last chance against Castillo. Yordan started the at bat by hard fouling a fastball outside for a strike, but you could see he was seeing the pitch extremely well and had a grasp on its spin. The worst thing Castillo could do here was throw the same pitch to him again, but he did, and Yordan was sitting all over it. He absolutely destroyed the lazy outside heat Castillo threw, manhandling it into the Crawford boxes for a 2 run home run to retake the lead. I can’t help but point out the similarities to his home run yesterday, where he fouled off the first pitch and then sat dead-red on the heater. It definitely will be interesting to see how the Mariners staff pitches to him in game 3, as he patiently waited on offspeed pitches in game 1 and pivoted to walloping fastballs in game 2.

At bat 4 (Bottom of eighth): Intentional walk

Coming up in a big spot (runner on and two outs in a one run game) the Mariners chose to intentionally walk Yordan, instead choosing to pitch to Alex Bregman behind him. While it was a nice move in theory, it immediately backfired, as Bregman laced a single into right to score Peña, providing a much needed insurance run.

Game stats: 1-3, HR, 2 RBIs, R, IBB

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 5 pitch groundout to pitcher

Starting off the game with no one on vs Castillo, Yordan began the at bat by hard fouling off a fastball outside, before a bad miss at a slider away put him down 0-2. Seemingly unfazed, Yordan battled back, taking back to back fastballs (one inside, one away) to even the count before hitting a weak dribbler right to Castillo off a low offspeed. Not exactly the outcome he was looking for, but he did do a good job recognizing Castillo’s fastball and battling back, which gives me hope for his next at bats.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 4 pitch flyout to left

Yordan started the at bat by taking back to back low offspeed pitches for balls to put him in ahead 2-0. Then Castillo threw the same pitch, except slightly higher in the zone, invoking a late swing and miss from Yordan. After 3 straight offspeeds down and away, Castillo threw a heater high in the zone and Yordan swung late but hard, hitting a shallow fly ball for the first out of the inning.

At bat 3 (Bottom of sixth): 2 pitch home run to left, 2 RBIs, R

After a 2 out single by Pena, Yordan got a chance to come up with runners on and one last chance against Castillo. Yordan started the at bat by hard fouling a fastball outside for a strike, but you could see he was seeing the pitch extremely well and had a grasp on its spin. The worst thing Castillo could do here was throw the same pitch to him again, but he did, and Yordan was sitting all over it. He absolutely destroyed the lazy outside heat Castillo threw, manhandling it into the Crawford boxes for a 2 run home run to retake the lead. I can’t help but point out the similarities to his home run yesterday, where he fouled off the first pitch and then sat dead-red on the heater. It definitely will be interesting to see how the Mariners staff pitches to him in game 3, as he patiently waited on offspeed pitches in game 1 and pivoted to walloping fastballs in game 2.

At bat 4 (Bottom of eighth): Intentional walk

Coming up in a big spot (runner on and two outs in a one run game) the Mariners chose to intentionally walk Yordan, instead choosing to pitch to Alex Bregman behind him. While it was a nice move in theory, it immediately backfired, as Bregman laced a single into right to score Peña, providing a much needed insurance run.

Game stats: 3-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBIs, 2 R

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 1 pitch popout to 3rd

Down 1-0 early in the game, Yordan looked a little tentative early, as he swung away on a decent first pitch slider and hit a high popout to end the inning.

At bat 2 (Bottom of third): 2 pitch double to left, 2 RBI

Yordan next came up in the bottom of the 3rd, this time with the deficit widened to 4-0. Seemingly unfazed, he watched a high fastball outside to settle into a groove before getting a nice curve that stayed in the zone. While last year’s Yordan may have simply wasted the pitch or induced early weak contact, this time he stayed back and made great contact, launching a moonshot off the wall into the left center field gap. Altuve (who reached on a walk earlier in the inning) and McCormick (whose leadoff single started the inning) scored easily on the play, a huge hit that kept the Astros in the game and set up a dramatic finish later on.

At bat 3 (Bottom of fifth): 3 pitch groundout to 2nd

After such a good approach in the previous at bat, it was a bit disheartening to see Yordan swing and miss at a middle-middle fastball to begin the at bat, although considering it was 98 MPH heat from Logan Gilbert it was partly understandable. He followed this up by taking a curve down and away for a ball, and then made good contact on another fastball in the zone, although unfortunately it was a ground ball right to the shifted second baseman.

At bat 4 (Bottom of eighth): 3 pitch single to right, R

Like last at bat, Yordan did not start his battle in an optimal strategy, as a whiff at a slider away and a watched middle-middle fastball led to him staring down an 0-2 count. Once again, however, he displayed the selective aggressiveness that made him so good this year, swinging hard at an offspeed pitch down and driving it down the line to right and off the wall. He missed a home run by a couple degrees of launch angle, and settled for a single, but would come around to score the very next play on a Bregman 2 run home run that again allowed the Astros to keep it a single score game.

At bat 5 (Bottom of ninth): 2 pitch home run to right, 3 RBIs, R

With the tying run on base and the game on the line, Mariners manager Scott Servais chose to bring out Robbie Ray to pitch to Yordan, choosing to prioritize the platoon advantage despite him pitching poorly a few days ago during the wild card round. Yordan started the at bat off by sizing up Ray’s fastball, hard hitting a sinker foul into the stands. I swear I saw him nodding after the pitch as he entered the box, perhaps having recognized the pitch’s pathing and spin rate. Then on the next pitch Ray just hung a fastball middle-middle, curving towards the inside, and Yordan absolutely destroyed it, nearly sending it into the second row for a walk-off 3 run home run that also was the biggest single postseason WPA change of all time. What a game for him, single handedly carrying the offense at times and delivering the death blow to end it.

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I did not originally plan on writing this, but Yordan’s heroics may have pulled me in for another postseason run of daily post-game write-ups. Hope you guys stay safe and see you all for game 2 🤟

Every daily dose of Yordan post from 2021:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Tr_QN1zCxBWpq1WJZLpjNdt0CmbME7pWhrEviIvqPoA/edit#gid=0

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As all of you know, the Astros lost game 6 of the world series yesterday in a 7-0 blowout, bringing a disappointing end to what was a season with immense hope and triumph all throughout the year. Not only did this end the Astros season and the baseball year as a whole, it also means that after 160 games, 537 at bats, and one of the greatest single postseason series of all time, the story of Yordan Alvarez’s 2021 season is complete, closing the book on my original project that started one sunny March evening when I watched him return against the A’s with a double off the wall after a year of absence. There’s a lot to unpack, so first let’s start with the positives.

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First off a huge thank you to the Astros community, both the server as well as the Discord and a few fans on Twitter. When I started this series, I wasn’t exactly sure how it would be received, due to me being a Dodgers fan still not completely over what happened in 2017, and the general perception of Astros fans in r/Baseball and other subreddits. However the graciousness and empathy of the community completely surprised me, to the point where towards the end of the year during the playoffs I would spend the entirety of the game in the Astros Discord interacting with the many great members of this community. I even checked out the Astros after dark server for a second (Not a good idea to do so, but contact u/HanSoes for more on that). While I still can’t really watch highlights of the 2017 world series without physically feeling ill, I have forgiven all of the members of that team, and as a result I have found solace in that year. For that I am forever grateful to you guys.

In addition, I’d like to thank everyone who commented, helped, or even upvoted any one of the posts I made this year. Your feedback and insight helped me continue this series well past what I thought I would be doing it, even during Yordan’s many in season cold streaks. Special commendation to u/CircusHazards, who went to pretty much every Astros postseason game (at least from what I saw) and was a big reason I continued to write throughout the ALDS and CS despite a heavy load at work.

Also would like to shoutout my buddy u/Braves2248, who’s discussion with me about Yordan in early 2020 led to my discovery of the Astros subreddit and the idea for starting this series. He also owns one of the greatest Yordan baseball card collections known to man, highly suggest you check it out.

And finally while he’s probably never read one of these write ups or plans to, I’d like to thank r/Rockets legend u/Deerontherocks, whose daily “Shoot 3’s” Rockets videos from 2018-2019 served as the blueprint for this series. Also his Ryan Anderson tribute video is one of the greatest single animations I have ever seen.

With that out of the way we now need to talk about what went wrong in the year, and my plans for the future of this series.

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While it was a great year and a great season for Yordan, many of you may have noticed that I didn’t write a single world series analysis or series preview for him. Part of this was me getting absolutely pounded at work that week, and another part of that was Yordan being completely lost in the games I did get to watch. It was a total aberration for him, and I’m sure he will take this lesson and move forwards to become a better hitter. Hopefully anyone who was looking for a WS DDoY understands why there weren’t any.

As for the future of this series going into next year, I’m not quite sure. Currently it’s dependent on a bet with u/HanSoes over Correa re-signing in Houston. It’s been an amazing year and I will cherish the memories and friendships gained along the ride, but I know for sure that I won’t have the time for daily analysis. It may disappoint some of you, but I feel like this series was always meant to be a short term thing, chronicling one bored man’s ramblings throughout the year. It was fun as hell but also became extremely time consuming and tiring at times. Some users have suggested trying a “Weekly dose of Yordan”, but I’m not sure if that would have the same reception as this series did. I might do something like this for Jeremy Pena when he gets called up if Correa leaves, but that’s a talk for a different time. I will continue to be active in the Discord and Subreddit though, as the people I’ve met here and relationships I’ve grown are things I will cherish for the foreseeable future.

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Once again, I’d like to thank everyone in this subreddit (and the other platforms) for the journey it took to get here. It probably wasn’t easy to accept a Dodgers fan as one of your own, but you did, so thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my opinion and analyze my favorite hitter every day, without any pre-emptive biases. It’s definitely disappointing for 178 games of a season (almost 100 Yordan Alvarez games analyzed for me) to end the way it did, but I guess it just wasn’t in the cards. I guess we’ll see what happens with Correa, and in 4 months, there will be a new season to watch and overreact to.

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Until then, go Yordan and go Astros.

EDIT: I would also like to see a Yordan flair added in the subreddit, hopefully before I die.

Today’s statline: 4-4, 3B, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

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At bat 1 (Bottom of first): 2 pitch double to center, RBI

Facing Nathan Eovaldi with two outs and a runner on, Yordan took a fastball middle middle for a strike, before lashing out at a lazy curve low and away in his sweet spot. He got a really nice swing off on it and drove it deep into deep center field. Kike Hernandez looked like he had a read on it for an out, but the way Yordan smashed it gave it a nasty hop, which made it bounce out of Kike’s glove for a stand up RBI double (again) to give the Astros an early lead. After all three of his hits last game were to the opposite field, it was very nice to see him take advantage of the pitch he was getting and rock one for a very productive first at bat. Although he himself wouldn’t score in the inning, as Correa struck out, this was a key early moment from him to give Luis Garcia immediate breathing room and allow the fans to get rowdy.

At bat 2 (Bottom of fourth): 3 pitch double to left

Again facing Eovaldi, again with a runner on, Yordan decided to be much more aggressive early against him, fouling off first a low splitter in the zone, and then a fastball up and in to work himself down 0-2. While normally being 0-2 is death for a hitter, today was just Yordan’s day, as he swung away at a second fastball high but well in the zone and punched it into left field for yet another double, once again advancing Bregman, this time to third. With runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs, this was a key inning here to tack on some insurance runs, but unfortunately 3 consecutive strikeouts meant a golden opportunity was wasted. We’ll see if this comes back to haunt them, but one thing’s for sure: Yordan is having a hell of a game and is building an extremely strong ALCS MVP case for himself in the likelihood that the Astros win game 6 and the series.

At bat 3 (Bottom of sixth): 6 pitch triple to right, R

Having knocked Eovaldi out of the game early despite him pitching well, Yordan got the pleasure of facing mediocre Red Sox reliever Josh Taylor to lead off the inning. The at bat started with Yordan taking a slider low and down for a ball, before taking a large hack at one in the zone. Then he got a fastball in the same location and fouled it off, again putting him down in a two strike hole. While again, it would have been easy for him to fold or make weak contact and settle, Yordan again buckled down, and took back to back sliders outside for balls to make the count full. Then, if you had any doubts about whether today was a magical night for Yordan, all doubts were quashed, as on the sixth pitch of the at bat Yordan got a hittable slider high in the zone and drove it deep down the right field corner. His bionic knees held up surprisingly well here, as he ran around first, chugged around second, and got to third with a stand up triple, a rare sight for anyone but especially for him. He would later score on some extremely smart baserunning on what was supposed to be a Kyle Tucker DP, scoring a huge 2nd run that gave the Astros a bit of room to work with (which was super important, considering the jam Kendall Graveman got into the next inning). Again, smart hitting and baseball IQ from Yordan, producing the big hit but also the smart baserunning to help his team win in the little ways.

At bat 4 (Bottom of eighth): 4 pitch single to center, R

Looking to seal his ALCS MVP and ice the game, Yordan came up against Tanner Houck, one of the best relievers in the Sox pen. Unfazed by this, Yordan took a slider way outside, then one inside that he probably should have swung at for a called strike, and then got a really good swing off on a slider in the zone, which he launched high onto the roof of the dome. Yordan was seeing Houck’s slider really well, o it made sense for him to throw a fastball, but Yordan tomahawk chopped a high fastball up the middle for a single, capping off his amazing night with an encore. He would score on a Kyle Tucker three run home run that all but iced the game, securing his ALCS MVP and an amazing series.

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Wow. What a game and series from Yordan. Having watched him all year I knew he would do great against the Red Sox’s unintimidating pitchers, but I didn’t expect him to do this well. Apparently he had the highest ALCS OPS in history, and after struggling so much in 2019 against the Yankees this was one of the greatest turnarounds that I’ve ever seen. Also was super funny to see him actually show emotion after not cracking a single smile in the whole series, this has got to be a special moment for him. Idk man, after watching him the whole year it feels like watching your own kid doing great things after watching them grow the whole year. Baseball is fun isn’t it?

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Job’s not finished though. 4 more wins to go. Gonna be tough to beat either the Dodgers or Braves without McCullers, but this team has really grown on me, and they could honestly do anything at this point. Once the NLCS ends I’ll have a world series preview available, but for now, it’s time to celebrate.

Today’s statline: 3-5, HR, 2B, 3 RBIs, 2 R

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At bat 1 (Top of second): 1 pitch home run to left, R, RBI

Facing Sale for the second time in the series, Yordan got a juicy first pitch fastball to hit with no one on, and he took full advantage of it, drilling it deep into left field towards the green monster. Unlike his fly ball from last game, which was well hit but was simply an out, Yordan seemed to be a little late on the slightly outside pitch but still managed to strength it out just over the monster for a solo home run to give them the early lead. After hitting Sale early and often in game 1, it’s good to see Yordan continue to see his pitches well and target them for loud contact. Maybe this is a sign that Yordan is coming back into form this series.

At bat 2 (Top of fourth): 6 pitch single to left

Again facing Sale, this time with a runner on, Yordan again picked up on Sale’s fastball early, and this time decided to be a lot more patient on high fastballs out of the zone. Each of Sale’s first four pitches were fastballs high and outside, and with the exception of one that was called a borderline strike, the rest were all outside for balls to work Yordan into a promising 3-1 count. After Sale threw a slider right down the middle that Yordan took for a strike on for the first offspeed pitch thrown to him all game, Yordan again got a good swing off on a Sale fastball and drilled it into left center field for an easy single that pushed Bregman to third. Again, a nice job by him to seek out hittable Sale fastballs and working into good counts. Despite the good effort, the Astros would not score in the inning, as both Correa and Tucker struck out to end the inning to keep it a 1 run game. It does seem like Yordan is seeing Sale extremely well though, so hopefully he gets another chance to do damage later on.

At bat 3 (Top of sixth): 1 pitch double to left, 2 RBIs, R

As expected Yordan got another chance to face Sale, this time with two runners on as a result of an error and a double. Before the series began, I highlighted just how important Yordan had to be on early Sale fastballs, and he once again proved me right, aggressively slashing at yet another fastball middle middle and rifling it down the left field line for a stand up 2 RBI double that scored both Altuve and Brantley. A huge hit in a crucial moment, as this was key in forcing Sale out of the game and blowing the game wide open against the dogshit Red Sox bullpen. Very dumb idea of Cora to not intentionally walk Yordan, who has been killing Sale all series, with a base open, but his loss is Yordan and the Astros’ gain.

At bat 4 (Top of seventh): 6 pitch strikeout swinging

Having blown the game out of reach the inning prior, Yordan came up in a relatively low leverage situation (no one on, two outs) to face Hansel Robles. Yordan initially looked quite good, taking two high breaking but way outside sliders for balls and taking two high fastballs for a strike and a ball to work into a 3-1 count. However, Robles managed to work back, first getting Yordan to foul off a low fastball and then coaxing him into a take on a borderline fastball high and inside. A substandard outcome, but at this point with the night he had so far anything more he does is gravy.

At bat 5 (Top of ninth): 1 pitch groundout to pitcher

Yordan came up in what was effectively an encore performance here, as with a 6 run lead and 3 outs to go he was trotted out there essentially to let Red Sox fans boo him in spite one more time. Facing Martin Perez and his unintimidating fastball, Yordan swung away on the first pitch and hit a hard bouncer, but unfortunately the pitcher managed to get a glove on it and threw it to first for the routine out that advanced the runners over to second and third. This would end up being important later on, as the open base led to a Correa intentional walk, which led to a Gurriel RBI single that scored even more runs. Yordan contributing in subtle ways without getting a hit 😤).

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Overall just a fantastic game for Yordan, given the situation the Astros were in this might be the best game of the season for him. He was doing a great job recognizing and executing on Sale’s fastballs, and as seen in the at bats Sale just threw it again and again for some reason. He’s really come alive in the last 2 games after starting the series off disappointingly, hopefully next game he performs well again and wins his first ALCS MVP to close out what has been a fantastic series and season. I’ll see you then.

Today’s statline: 2-4, BB, RBI, R

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At bat 1 (Top of first): 2 pitch popout to second

Facing Nick Pivetta in the beginning of the game with an early lead, Yordan started the at bat off by taking a fastball way high and outside for a ball, and then swung away at a pretty bad slider in a similar spot, high and outside of the zone. He still managed to muscle out a fly ball, but it was nowhere close to being a hit, as he hit a routine pop fly out to the shifted second baseman, who made the routine out to end the inning. Yordan has got to do more damage vs Boston’s offspeed pitches that he continues to get, so far he’s been really off on them leading to a lot of weak contact and bad counts.

At bat 2 (Top of fourth): 5 pitch walk

Facing Pivetta again in the fourth, this time with a deficit, Yordan did a much better job recognizing and identifying his pitches. He started the at bat by taking back to back fastballs high and outside for balls to make it a 2-0 count. He then took a slider high and outside, pretty much the same pitch he popped out on in the first inning, good to see he adjusted on it and recognized it early. with a 3-0 count Yordan took his customary strike right down the middle for a strike, and then took a low curve in the dirt to draw the walk. After the extremely disappointing first at bat, it was great to see Yordan adjust and take the same pitches he got there and turn it into a positive result. Despite the leadoff walk, he wouldn’t score (the next three batters all popped out 💀), hopefully the Astros offense gets it going in this must win game.

At bat 3 (Top of sixth): 2 pitch single to right

Now facing reliever Adam Ottavino with no one on and two outs, Yordan took a customary cold strike watching on a fastball high in the zone. In my ALCS preview I believe I wrote that the key vs Ottavino would be to capitalize on hittable sliders in the zone, and this was proven clearly as Yordan swung hard at a slider high in the zone on the next pitch. It squirted past the infielders and into the outfield for a textbook clean single, great job by him to realize how the Red Sox were pitching him and take advantage of it. Unfortunately, he wouldn’t score in a situation where the Astros absolutely needed a run, as Correa struck out to end the inning.

At bat 4 (Top of eighth): 4 pitch flyout to center

Badly needing runs and facing Garrett Whitlock, the most dangerous of Boston’s relievers, Yordan actually did quite well considering his struggles so far in the ALCS. After swinging and missing at a fastball that Whitlock busted him high and inside on, Yordan took consecutive pitches outside, first another fastball inside and then an offspeed pitch low and away, to work into a favorable 2-1 count. He then got a really, really good swing on a fastball in the zone that Whitlock accidentally threw too close to the middle and launched it deep into center field. It just wasn’t his day on this swing though, as he just barely was off on his swing, leading to a deep flyout instead of the tying run. Altuve did end up tying it with a solo home run later in the inning, so hopefully Yordan has a chance to score much needed runs in the 9th.

At bat 5 (Top of ninth): 1 pitch single to left, RBI, R

With the Astros lineup having come alive in a huge way in the 9th, scoring 4 runs by the time Yordan stepped up to the plate, he simply needed to keep the line moving and pound the nail into the coffin with two outs. He did exactly that, as on a first pitch fastball right down the middle from Martin Perez Yordan got a bit jammed but still got managed to YorBloop it into left field for an RBI single that scored Brantley and moved Bregman to second. While it wasn’t the prettiest of hits, after the games he had in game 2 and 3 it was such a relief to see some luck going his way today. He would advance to third on an error and scored on a Kyle Tucker single, ending his (and the Astros) nights on a huge note to even the series.

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While it wasn’t pretty to look at times, Yordan had himself a solid game today, with several hard hit balls and some good luck resulting in a productive game at a time when the Astros needed everything they could get. Shout out to the bullpen for keeping things close until the offense got going, they’ve been huge today and will be extremely important going forwards. Having evened up the series, I expect Yordan to finally get it going in a pivotal game 5, hopefully he and the Astros both show up and take advantage of the Red Sox bullpen being exhausted today.