Jose Altuve becomes first Houston Astros player to win AL batting title
By Mike Marteny
Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve has had an amazing season. He racked up 225 hits, which is the most by a second baseman since Tigers Hall of Famer Charlie Gehringer had 227 in 1936. His 225 hits were 25 more than Michael Brantley of the Indians, who finished with 200. It is also the new Astros team record, breaking Craig Biggio‘s mark of 210 in 1998.
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Those 225 hits also won Jose Altuve the American League, and Major League, batting title. His .340 average was .003 points higher than the Tigers’ Victor Martinez.
Astros interim manager Tom Lawless wanted to sit Altuve on the final day of the season to preserve the batting title. Which is about the only bright spot in what has been a lost season for Houston.
Channeling his inner Ted Williams, Altuve went to Lawless and begged to play. He notched two hits to give him yet another multi-hit game on the season.
This batting title is the first in history for a member of the Astros. Jeff Bagwell hit .368 in the strike shortened 1994 season, but Tony Gwynn hit .394 that season.
Altuve did not tally less than 32 hits in any month this year, even in June when he only had 95 at-bats. He still gathered 39 hits on the month for a .411 average.
This was a season of remarkable consistency for the 24-year-old Altuve, and possibly a sign that he could get even better! The season record holder for hits by a second baseman is 250 by Hall of Famer Rogers Hornsby in 1922. Can Altuve reach that mark at some point in his career?
It is possible, since Hornsby was 26 in that record setting 1922 season in which he became the first player in history to hit .400 and 40 homers in the same season. while Altuve will never hit 40 home runs, it is possible to get those 250 hits.
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