Altuve shines in Japan Series

HOUSTON, TX - Astros second baseman Jose Altuve tallied his second consecutive three-hit game today to help lead the MLB All-Stars to a 3-1 victory over Samurai Japan in the Tokyo Dome in what was the finale of the official, five-game series. Altuve's three hits in the previous game helped lead the MLB All-Stars to a 6-1 win. He hit leadoff in both victories.
 
For the series, Altuve led all hitters with a .429 batting average (6x14) with two doubles, two RBI and a 1.000 OPS while making several fine defensive plays at second base.
 
The 24-year-old, All-Star second baseman had a record-setting season in 2014, becoming the first player in franchise history to win a batting title (.341) while also setting a club record for hits with a ML-best 225. Altuve also led the AL with 56 stolen bases, becoming just the second ML player since 1946 to lead his league in batting, hits and stolen bases. Additionally, Altuve's 225 hits are the most by a second basemen since Charlie Gehringer of the Detroit Tigers collected 227 hits back in 1936.
 
In addition to Altuve, three other members of the 2014 Astros club are on the MLB All-Star roster. Outfielders Chris Carter and Dexter Fowler and right-handed pitcher Jose Veras have all seen action in the series. Astros mascot Orbit is also taking part in the series.
 
The MLB All-Stars ended with a 2-3 record in the official five-game series vs. Samurai Japan. The two clubs will play an exhibition game on Thursday, which will be broadcast live from Okinawa Cellular Stadium on MLB Network and MLB.TV at 3 a.m. CT, and then re-aired at 8 p.m. CT on MLB Network.