Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Álvarez is known for hitting the you-know-what out of the ball. He does that while demolishing anything in its path, even a jumbotron.
It was during batting practice on Tuesday before the Astros faced the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field when a home run ball during batting practice from Álvarez made contact with the jumbotron. The impact caused a glitch in the right-field screen on a small LED square toward the right corner.
Later, the whole board was out.
According to Lukas Weese and Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the screen was completely black just minutes before first pitch.
He also broke a jumbotron back in 2019 at Minute Maid Park taking batting practice.
The Rays also said the portion of the jumbotron is being worked on so it can be restored.
Álvarez is a three-time All-Star and was the American League Rookie of the Year in 2019. His bat is the perfect addition to the Astros lineup. They love his power and production so much, in fact, the team signed him to a six-year, $115 million contract in 2022.
This season, the 27-year-old is currently slashing .308/.395/.562 with 25 home runs, 64 RBI … and one broken jumbotron.
[Julia Morales on X, The Athletic; Photo Credit: Julia Morales on X]
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.