Astros' Altuve Talks 2,000 Hits

Houston Astros second baseman now has another thing in common with two Houston Astros Hall-of-Famers, Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell — at least 2,000 career hits.

Altuve moved into that hallowed tier of Astros history with a fifth-inning single to left field, one that slammed off the wall, took a bounce and went directly into the glove of Seattle Mariners left fielder Cade Marlowe.

That was unfortunate in one respect for Altuve. He was attempting to turn a sure single into a double and because the ball caromed so fast back to Marlowe he was able to throw him out at second base.

It oddly aligned Altuve with Biggio, who had a similar thing happen to him when he recorded his 3,000th hit.

Altuve finished Saturday’s game 3-for-4 and now has 2,001 career hits. The Astros ended up losing their second straight to the Mariners, 10-3.

But that only dampened Altuve’s milestone slightly.

Astros manager Dusty Baker told reporters after the game that the team had a glass of champagne to toast Altuve, saying that it “broke the ice a little bit after a tough loss.”

Altuve spoke to the media after the game. He mentioned that not only did Baker and the team have a toast but he had to talk about himself, something Altuve tends to avoid. But he understood the significance of the accomplishment.