HOUSTON -- He was so convinced that the full-count pitch from Twins pitcher Joe Ryan was a ball, that Jose Altuve took a few hops toward first base and immediately tapped his helmet, signaling he wanted an ABS challenge on the called third strike by plate ump John Tumpane that would have ended the fourth inning on Tuesday night.
A huge cheer erupted at Daikin Park when the scoreboard showed the pitch -- a fastball by Ryan -- was 0.6 inches off the plate, resulting in a bases-loaded walk that forced in the Astros’ second run of the game. More importantly, the overturned call meant Yordan Alvarez would get to bat with the bases loaded.
What happened next was no surprise.
Alvarez crushed the second pitch he saw from Ryan and sailed it into the home bullpen in right-center field for a game-changing grand slam -- the seventh of his career, tying the franchise record -- that sent the Astros to a 6-4 win over the Twins.
Alvarez broke an 0-for-16 slump with a scorching single in the first inning that had an exit velocity of 115.1 mph and struck out in the third before hitting his third grand slam of the season in the fourth. He’s tied with Alex Bregman, Carlos Lee and Altuve for the most grand slams in Houston history, and appears poised to own that record at some point.
The slugger entered Tuesday leading the Major Leagues in OPS and total bases and was tied for first in the American League with 25 home runs and 41 extra-base hits. Vying for his second All-Star starting nod and fourth selection overall, Alvarez leads Toronto’s George Springer in Phase 2 of fan voting for the 2026 All-Star Game at designated hitter in the AL.
Phase 2 of voting is open now until 11 a.m. CT on Thursday. The All-Star Ballot will continue to be available exclusively online and via mobile devices at MLB.com/vote, all 30 club websites, the MLB App and the MLB Ballpark App. Fans may vote once per day during Phase 2.
The Twins scored three times in the first inning against Astros starter Mike Burrows, who gave up four runs in five innings, before Houston rallied for six runs in the fourth. Consecutive one-out singles by Cam Smith, Taylor Trammell and Yainer Diaz cut the lead to 3-1, setting the stage for Altuve and Alvarez.