José Altuve reaches 2,500 career hits in MLB

Houston Astros second baseman José Altuve reached a major career milestone on Wednesday, recording his 2,500th Major League Baseball hit. The achievement occurred during the third inning of a game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park, when Altuve hit a double against pitcher Cristopher Sánchez.

Altuve is the fourth Venezuelan player in MLB history to reach 2,500 hits, joining Luis Aparicio, Omar Vizquel, and Miguel Cabrera. He is also only the second active player to hold this distinction, alongside Freddie Freeman. The milestone places him in an elite group of players, including Hall of Famers like Craig Biggio and Rod Carew.

Despite Altuve’s historic performance, the Houston Astros lost the game to the Phillies with a final score of 11-7. The loss was partly attributed to a struggling bullpen in the later innings. Additionally, Astros manager Joe Espada announced that slugger Yordan Alvarez would be held out of the upcoming starting lineup for the series against the Tampa Bay Rays due to an ankle injury sustained during the game.

Altuve, 36, remains in contention for the 3,000-hit club, a goal supported by his current contract which runs through 2029. Meanwhile, fellow Venezuelan infielder Luis Arráez also made headlines during the game, nearing the career mark of 504 runs scored.