Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez hit a cycle for the first time in his career in Sunday’s 6-4 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
He received a memento of his special day that his fellow major leaguers who hit for the cycle may not have received.
Mariners fan Amy Franz ended up with the ball from Alvarez’s home run after the massive shot (interestingly measured by Statcast at 384 feet) struck the front of T-Mobile Park’s upper deck and landed in the lower deck, where she was sitting.
Shortly after, Franz posted a message on social media contacting the Astros and Mariners, saying he had the ball from Alvarez’s home run and wanted to give it to them.
“It’s worth more to him than me, since he made it through the cycle,” she wrote. “Please find a way for me to get it to him.”
Franz’s post circulated on social media and apparently reached people associated with the Mariners and Astros. After the game, she was introduced to Alvarez and given the ball, “the piece of history that was earned,” as she put it.
“I didn’t ask for anything in return,” he said. a follow-up post with a photo of her and Alvarez. “But he made sure I got an autographed ball to show his appreciation.”
For those who were wondering, I was able to congratulate them. @astros Yordan and give him the piece of history he earned. I didn’t ask for anything in return, but he made sure I received an autographed ball to show his appreciation. Congratulations Yordan and thanks for the ball. image.twitter.com/dwQVFEtYDY
— Amy Franz (@ichimeterlady) July 22, 2024
In addition to an autographed ball, Franz received a jersey from Álvarez, according to MLB.com.
Alvarez went 4-for-4 on Sunday, hitting his homer in the fourth inning and the toughest part of a cycle — a triple — in the sixth on a deep drive to left-center field that unfortunately caused Mariners outfielder Julio Rodriguez to get hurt while chasing it. Rodriguez crashed into the outfield wall and sprained his right ankle.
With the 4-for-4 outing, Alvarez’s batting average improved to .301 with a .930 OPS, 20 home runs, 22 doubles, two triples and 54 RBIs on the season.
The Astros designated hitter is the second player to accomplish the cycle this season, joining Wyatt Langford of the Texas Rangers. He is also the second player to accomplish it in T-Mobile Park history, following Miguel Tejada achieving the feat with the Oakland Athletics in 2001.
Alvarez is the 10th Astros hitter to reach the cycle, after Jose Altuve did it last season against the Boston Red Sox. But did Altuve receive his home run ball from as kind a baseball fan as Alvarez did?
