It took Jose Altuve over 1,000 games before recording this embarrassing hitting milestone
There’s no doubt Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve is one of baseball’s best hitters. Since 2014, he has a .333 batting average, and a bevy of awards that prove his excellence.
But even the best hitters in the game can have a bad day. Altuve’s came Wednesday, when — for the first time in his career — he struck out four times in one game. Yes, Jose Altuve finally got hit with a golden sombrero.
Jose Altuve records golden sombrero against Athletics
Altuve’s day started out promising. In the first inning, he got the Astros on the board with a single. His next four at-bats didn’t go well. Altuve struck out on four pitches in the third inning, five pitches in the fourth, six pitches in the seventh and five pitches in the eighth. It was his first four-strikeout game, which is also known as a golden sombrero.
The Astros managed to pull off the win despite Altuve’s struggles, taking down the rival Oakland Athletics 5-4.
It took Jose Altuve over 1,000 games to record a golden sombrero
Altuve nearly went 1,100 games before recording his first golden sombrero. It happened to him during his 1,094th career game. That’s pretty impressive considering strikeouts are on the rise. Mike Trout recorded his first golden sombrero in his 353rd career game. Baltimore Orioles slugger Chris Davis has done it three times in 2018.
Jose Altuve is the least likely MLB hitter to record a golden sombrero
While Altuve waited a long time before recording his first golden sombrero, the fact that he struck out four times in a game comes as a surprise. Since he entered the league in 2011, Altuve has the 17th lowest strikeout rate in baseball. Striking him out once is a difficult task. Doing it four times in a single game is highly improbable.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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