Marwin González channels Pablo Sandoval, smashes impossible pitch to lift Astros to ALCS

Is there a pitch the Houston Astros can’t turn into a clutch hit in the postseason?

Based on the results in Game 3 of the American League Division Series, there isn’t.

The Astros remained an unstoppable force in the postseason, sweeping the Cleveland Indians to advance to the American League Championship Series with a dominant 11-3 victory in Game 3. And there was one hit in particular that showed how incredibly difficult it is to pitch to Houston’s lineup when it’s rolling.

Marwin González went full-scale Pablo Sandoval, hitting a seemingly impossible to hit eye-level 95 mph fastball from Indians starter-turned-October reliever Trevor Bauer for a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning. It was González’s second clutch double in the series after he also came through in Game 2.

How did Marwin González hit that pitch?

We’re still not entirely sure.

Look at the location.

And look at where González had to get his bat just to make contact.

Based on González’s reaction, he was pretty surprised by what followed. Not only did he make contact, he hit it to the perfect spot. The ball landed safely in the left field corner for what amounted to a series-clinching hit for the Astros.

“Well, I don’t know if it was a gorgeous swing,” González said after Game 3. “It was an ugly swing, but I was lucky enough to keep it fair and get the lead by that time.”

Typically, when a batter makes contact on an eye-level fastball, they’re in defense mode just hoping to hit a foul ball to keep the at-bat alive. That wasn’t true though for González, who was actually in control of the at-bat with a 3-1 count. He says he was mainly looking for a pitch to elevate.

“What I just wanted to do in that at-bat was at least get a fly ball and bring in a run and then get the lead. Everybody knows what Bauer can do on the mound. He’s a good pitcher. I was looking to keep the ball fair.”

“I didn’t know until my teammate behind me was yelling at me, like go, go, go,” González said of his slow exit from the batters box. “But, I mean, that was game, and I’m happy to contribute at any point to win a game.”

It worked out this time.

The odds of it working out again if he tried that swing 100 times? Probably pretty low.

Classic bad ball hitters

Throughout baseball’s history, there have been a few hitters who made a living off of turning impossible pitches into productive hits. We mentioned Sandoval above. At least one time in his career he hit a pitch over his head for a hit, and many other times he tried.

Perhaps the most notable hitter of that ilk to modern fans would be 2018 Hall of Fame inductee Vladimir Guerrero. The former Montreal Expos and Los Angeles Angels slugger often expanded his strike zone from the ground to his helmet, yet still finished a career .318 hitter.

Obviously, we wouldn’t put Marwin González into Sandoval’s category as a bad-ball hitter or Guerrero’s category an all-around hitter. But he proved Monday that he can expand his hitting zone to places few other hitters can.

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