Yordan Álvarez hits home run after recovering from COVID-19

August 16, 2020

The Cuban Yordan Álvarez connected a three-run home run in his first at-bat of the season after recovering from COVID-19, to contribute to the Houston Astros' 11-1 rout of the Seattle Mariners.

The Cuban-born slugger achieved his first home run of the 2020 campaign this Friday as part of a nine-run attack by the Astros in the first inning. After his blast down the left field line, the Las Tunas native was followed by his fellow countryman Yuli Gurriel, who hit one next with the bases empty.

Álvarez was last year's American League Rookie of the Year, after batting .313 with 27 home runs. With two home runs in his first two Major League games in 2019, he became the first player in his franchise's history to achieve that mark.

However, he missed the first 18 games of this season after testing positive for coronavirus before spring training.

In his debut this year, he produced four runs, including three with his blast to the opposing outfield against his fellow countryman Néstor Cortés in the first inning. In that same inning, Álvarez batted again, with the bases loaded, but hit a grounder for a double play.