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The Cuban Yordan Álvarez hit his tenth home run of the season on Sunday against reliever JoJo Romero of the St. Louis Cardinals and became the overall home run leader in Major League Baseball.
The hit, a solo shot to right field at Daikin Park in Houston, recorded an exit velocity of 95.8 miles per hour, an angle of 28 degrees, and a distance of 357 feet, according to the Facebook page of Pelota Cubana.
It was the third consecutive day that the Astros' left fielder hit a home run, completing a crushing streak during the series against the Cardinals held on April 17, 18, and 19.
The home run occurred in the bottom of the eighth inning and cut Houston's deficit to 4-2 in that game.
In just 22 games played in 2026, Álvarez showcases elite numbers: a batting average of .342, an on-base percentage of .485, a slugging percentage of .789, and an OPS of 1.274, with 20 runs batted in.
His advanced metrics are equally impressive: he leads all of MLB in xwOBA (.596), ranks second in expected slugging (.953) and third in expected batting average (.412), with an average exit velocity of 97.2 miles per hour.
His adjusted runs created indicator exceeds 300, which is more than three times the league average, a figure that places him in a league of his own at the start of this season.
Álvarez is on track to surpass the 47 home runs, the historic record of the Astros set by Jeff Bagwell in 2000, and his personal best of 37, achieved in 2022.
This explosive start contrasts with the 2025 season, in which the Cuban was only able to play 48 games due to a fracture in the metacarpal bone of his right hand and a severe sprain in his left ankle, ending with just nine home runs and a batting average of .273.
Born on June 27, 1997, in Las Tunas, Cuba, Álvarez made his MLB debut on June 9, 2019, with the Astros and has accumulated 179 career home runs with a .298 batting average and an OPS of .969 over 696 games.
Among his greatest achievements are the title of Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series in 2021, three selections to the All-Star Game between 2022 and 2024, and the 2022 World Series championship with Houston.
The week of April 7, 2026 had already won the American League Player of the Week award, after batting .471 with three home runs and eight RBIs.
"When healthy… few can compare to their offensive impact."
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