It was Sunday afternoon, June 9, 2019, in Minute Maid Park, the Astros were facing the Baltimore Orioles. A 21-year-old kid by the name of Yordan Alvarez was in the lineup on a big-league team for the first time in his career. There were high hopes for the young prospect, but I don’t think anyone truly expected what was in store for the next several months.
The temperature outside the stadium was approaching triple digits, but it was a comfortable 73 degrees under the protection of the closed roof of Minute Maid Park. The game was still knotted up in a scoreless tie.