Jose Altuve leaves game after getting hit by 94-mph pitch
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was hit by a pitch and taken off the field early during his team’s Friday contest against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn.
With the Astros leading 7-5, Altuve led off the top of the 8th inning against Twins reliever Josh Winder. The former AL MVP took a 94-mph sinker directly to his left hand and fell to the ground.
Altuve comes out of the game after being hit by a pitch on the hand pic.twitter.com/SlTeOsohNh
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 6, 2024
Altuve immediately called for medical assistance once he got back on his feet. The 8-time All-Star was taken out of the game and replaced by pinch runner Mauricio Dubon.
The Astros followed Altuve’s hit-by-pitch with three consecutive singles. Houston tacked on a total of three runs in the 8th inning to extend their lead to 10-5.
Altuve was 2-of-4 with an RBI before leaving the contest. He also made a highlight defensive play with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 2nd, robbing former Astros shortstop Carlos Correa of a potential bloop hit.
Jose Altuve takes one away from former teammate Carlos Correa 😅 pic.twitter.com/xujlH3myBO
— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2024
The Twins gave the Astros a scare late, cutting the lead to 13-12 via a Carlos Correa grand slam in the bottom of the 9th inning. But Manuel Margot struck out for the game’s final out one batter later.
SENT THAT BALL OVERBOARD pic.twitter.com/DGd7OLjVwI
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 6, 2024
In his 14th season, Altuve is in the midst of another strong campaign in 2024. He entered Friday’s matchup sporting a .308 batting average with 13 home runs, 39 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases.