Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez Breaks Tampa Bay Rays' Jumbotron During Batting Practice

According to multiple reports, Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez crushed a home run off the Tropicana Field video board during batting practice, causing it to malfunction.

Oct 8, 2019; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez (44) doubles during the fourth inning in game four of the 2019 ALDS playoff baseball series against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. / Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Astros' Tuesday night showdown with the Tampa Bay Rays hadn't even started yet, and Yordan Alvarez was already doing damage.

Alvarez was going through batting practice at Tropicana Field leading up to the 6:50 p.m. ET start time. According to multiple first-hand accounts, Alvarez crushed a home run off the video board in right field.

Soon after, the screen began to glitch out. Space City Home Network's Julia Morales, MLB.com's Brian McTaggart and the Tampa Bay Times' Marc Topkin all documented the incident on social media.

This isn't the first time Alvarez has damaged a jumbotron with a home run, either. He also did it at Minute Maid Park back in 2019.

Send bill to Yordan Alvarez pic.twitter.com/AgkPCil2eN

— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) August 13, 2024

Alvarez, a 6-foot-5, 237-pound slugger in his sixth season of MLB action, has been one of baseball's most effective power hitters ever since he broke into the big leagues.

It took Alvarez just 87 games to rack up 27 home runs and 78 RBI in 2019, which is why he won AL Rookie of the Year that season. He missed all but two games in 2020 due to COVID-19, but he returned with a vengeance in 2021.

Over the last four seasons, Alvarez has blasted 126 home runs, which is good for the third-most in the American League in that span. The 27-year-old is a .298 career hitter with a .978 OPS and 22.2 WAR.

Alvarez has been named an All-Star in each of the past three seasons, and he could earn his second Silver Slugger later on this fall. He is currently batting .308 with 25 home runs, 64 RBI, a .957 OPS and a 3.9 WAR through 113 appearances.

According to Baseball Savant, Alvarez ranks in the 97th percentile in average bat speed and the 95th percentile in average exit velocity across all of MLB in 2024.

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