Astros Alvarez named AL MVP

On Thursday night, Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez capped off his dominant year by taking home the 2026 American League MVP Award, in a unanimous decision. He is the first Astros to win the award since Jose Altuve in 2017. Surrounded by family at his Houston home, Alvarez teared up as Jeremy Pena, Carlos Correas, and Jose Altuve shared virtual congratulations as the announcement was made on MLB Network. The 6-foot-4, 238-pound Alvarez paced an otherwise inconsistent Astros batting order by commanding the strike zone, with pitchers intentionally walking him a franchise record 33 times, and batting a league-leading .316 with 42 home runs when they were brave enough to pitch to him. He also added 105 RBI. With 158 games played, Alvarez spent much of the season aiming for the Triple Crown, but hit a brief slump during August.

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