Yordan Alvarez pulled 33 intentional walks this season, a number only Aaron Judge surpassed last year in American League history. Think about that for a second. Of those 33, a mind-blowing 26 came with Isaac Paredes standing right behind him in the batter’s box. Opponents literally told Paredes they’d rather face him, and now that decision is about to hit different as the Houston Astros kick off their postseason run on Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox in Game 1 of the wild-card series at Daikin Park.
They’d Rather Walk Yordan Than Face Paredes… At First
Alvarez has been an absolute monster, an AL MVP frontrunner who led all qualified hitters in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging. His 1.033 OPS was a ridiculous 91 points higher than the next guy, and he finished second in the AL in dingers and RBIs. Seriously, the guy is “the most dangerous hitter in the sport” this season. So, it makes sense that pitchers would want nothing to do with him, right? Paredes admitted he felt “disrespected” at first, feeling like teams were “kind of disrespecting me as a hitter.” But as the season ground on, he started seeing the bigger picture. “Yordan is truly the greatest hitter right now in baseball,” Paredes said, realizing it wasn’t personal. But here’s the kicker: in the high-stakes world of postseason baseball, those intentional walks could flip everything onto Paredes’s shoulders.
Paredes’s Numbers Are No Joke, Even After Alvarez
Don’t sleep on Paredes’s own year, though. This dude had a 127 OPS-plus, second only to Alvarez on the team. He blasted 25 homers and drove in 94 RBIs, which tied for sixth-most in the AL. Paredes also led Houston with 187 plate appearances with a runner in scoring position, batting .293 in those critical spots, way above the league average of .252. He even averaged the most pitches per plate appearance among qualified major-league hitters. He’s not just a warm body; he’s a clutch hitter. Since June 24, Paredes has been batting after Alvarez every single time they both started a game. The message from Paredes is simple: “Just remain calm,” and “be prepared to be able to protect Yordan as much as I can.”
So, when Game 1 starts with AJ Blubaugh on the mound for a bullpen game, all eyes might be on Alvarez, but it’s Paredes who will likely carry the weight of those intentional walks. Can he make opponents pay for pitching around the greatest hitter in baseball? This Wild Card series against the White Sox is where we find out, and it’s going to be wild! You can catch Games 1 and 2 on NBCSN and Peacock.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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