The Houston Astros have one of baseball’s best hitters over the past decade on their roster. Jose Altuve is in pursuit of reaching a major career milestone. But, in the middle of his quest, he reached another milestone worth mentioning.
He singled in the sixth inning against the Colorado Rockies, knocking in two runs and giving the Astros the lead. It was also his 2,315th career hit in the Major Leagues, passing Jeff Bagwell for the second-most All-Time on the Astros.
After the game, Chandler Rome of The Athletic shared Altuve’s reaction to reaching such a milestone and how much it means to him every time he reaches such a milestone.
“I think at this point, everything means a lot,” Asltuve said. “Getting hits is not easy. Every time I get one, and every time I get some milestone or something like that, I just get really happy and excited and motivated to keep doing it. They all mean a lot to me.”
But, while each milestone is meaningful, the 3,000 hit benchmark is a major one in any big-leaguer’s career. While Altuve is a little under 700 hits away, it’s on the horizon, and he’s looking forward to reaching such a number. But, he knows he has a ways to go.
“Not yet,” Altuve said. “That’s a lot of hits left. Tomorrow is another day. Let’s get one more and just keep going.”
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Only 33 players in Major League Baseball history have reached 3,000 career hits. Among active players, Altuve is behind only Freddie Freeman in the pursuit of 3,000 hits. They both have a long way to go, but both can still reach it.
There are a lot of hits left for both hitters, and Altuve is taking things day by day. Every game is a chance to inch closer to such a major career milestone. At 35 years old, and under contract through 2029, Altuve has around four and a half years left to reach such a mark.
With 85 hits this season, Altuve is on pace to hit around 163 hits this season. If he finishes the season at that number, he’d need to hit 151 hits per season to reach 3,000 career hits by the end of his current deal.
Assuming he stays healthy and his production doesn’t drop off drastically, it’s within reach. Reaching these career milestones means a lot to Altuve, and 3,000 hits is the pinnacle of milestones for Altuve to reach.
He wants to reach 3,000 hits and cement his legacy as one of the best hitters in baseball history. Altuve has a ways to go, 683 hits left, but he’s on pace to make it there.
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