Yordan Alvarez has a good excuse after getting exposed by Jordan Montgomery
By Mark Powell
Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez isn't made to look like a fool too often when he's at the plate. Yet, Jordan Montgomery did just that thanks to his nasty curveball, which Jeff Passan has since coined a death ball.
Passan outlined exactly how the Rangers pitched Alvarez -- nothing but inside fastballs and breaking curveballs away -- which put the Houston star in a bit of a conundrum offensively. He struck out three times on Montgomery's curveball.
These two videos, from @PitchingNinja and @PitcherList, illustrate the effect perfectly. The first shows how tunneling works. And the second is from the batter’s perspective to see how the flat approach angle and late break on the curve really does make it look like a fastball. pic.twitter.com/pc6ETKbamc
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) October 16, 2023
It's tough to blame Alvarez in either of these at-bats. Monty was on, and his pitch placement was essentially perfect.
"When it comes out of his hand, it looks like a fastball," Álvarez said, perJeff Passan of ESPN. "That makes it a little more difficult. The way he releases the ball, the angle he releases it, makes it a little bit more difficult to pick it up and makes it look like a fastball."
Alvarez took note of Montgomery's strategy against him. He was virtually flawless in over six innings of work, and if the Rangers can employ similar tactics moving forward, it could be a long series for Yordan.
Astros star Yordan Alvarez was sick before Game 1
Alvarez essentially had the opposite of Michael Jordan's flu game against the Texas Rangers. Alvarez struck out three times and struggled mightily against Montgomery's breaking ball, all the while dealing with a severe illness.
The Astros’ Yordan Alvarez is dealing with a virus, sources tell me and @Chandler_Rome. Upset stomach, headaches. Was not part of intros last night.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) October 16, 2023
Is the timing of this particular reveal convenient for Alvarez? Yes, of course, but that doesn't necessarily make it false. If Alvarez is dealing with some sort of flu bug moving forward in this series, it'll drastically impact Houston's chances of making another World Series.
Even with Alvarez's diagnosis, he still chose to play in Game 1. Flu or not, his results are on him, and he came up short when it mattered most.
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