Jose Altuve Set to Surpass Mets Franchise in Bizarre Postseason Stat

Jose Altuve will make his 10th playoff appearance this Tuesday when the Houston Astros take on the Chicago White Sox in the AL Wild Card Series.

Jose Altuve Set to Surpass Mets Franchise in Bizarre Postseason Stat

Jose Altuve (Image via Imago)

After tripping, falling, and somehow finding a way through, the Houston Astros made it through the 2026 MLB playoffs. On Tuesday, their second baseman Jose Altuve will surpass the New York Mets in a bizarre postseason stat.

To say that the Astros have struggled this year would be an understatement. It took them until the final game of the season to punch their ticket to the playoffs.

In doing so, they already set an unwanted MLB record. Their 9-0 win on Sunday against the Athletics saw them finish the year with an 81-81 record.

As the Texas Rangers lost their game against the Minnesota Twins, they finished 80-82. This saw the Astros win the division with a .500 record. They thus became the first team in playoff history (excluding shortened seasons) to reach the playoffs without a winning record.

They will now face the Chicago White Sox in the best-of-three American League Wild Card Series. When Altuve takes to the field, he will surpass the Mets in a wild postseason stat.

The game on Tuesday will be his 106th playoff game since 2015. The Mets, as a whole franchise, have played just 105 playoff games. The New York-based team’s tally will not increase this year as they missed the playoffs once again.

On top of that, he also has the same number of World Series titles as the Mets. He won his 2 championship titles in 2017 and 2022 when the team defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Philadelphia Phillies, respectively. Meanwhile, the Mets won their 2 titles in 1969 and 1986.

However, the Mets are not alone here. There are 17 more teams in MLB history that have fewer playoff appearances than Altuve. They are listed below:

  • Baltimore Orioles (105)
  • Cincinnati Reds (103)
  • Pittsburgh Pirates (99)
  • Minnesota Twins (95)
  • Toronto Blue Jays (85)
  • Kansas City Royals (80)
  • Texas Rangers (69)
  • Tampa Bay Rays (64)
  • Los Angeles Angels (64)
  • Milwaukee Brewers (63)
  • San Diego Padres (62)
  • Chicago White Sox (62)
  • Arizona Diamondbacks (57)
  • Washington Nationals (45)
  • Seattle Mariners (44)
  • Miami Marlins (40)
  • Colorado Rockies (24)

With the Mets at 105 games, the Chicago Cubs sit in 12th with 131 games. No surprises, the New York Yankees are on top of the list at 444 games, 135 ahead of the 2nd-place Los Angeles Dodgers at 309 games.

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Jose Altuve is also eyeing the record for most home runs in postseason history

Tuesday will mark Jose Altuve‘s 106th playoff game in his 16-year MLB career. As he enters yet another postseason, he is also eyeing the record for the most home runs in postseason history.

Jose Altuve
Jose Altuve (Image via Imago)

In his 9 playoff appearances, he has 27 home runs to his name. This is the second most by any player in MLB postseason history. Only MLB Hall of Famer Manny Ramirez has more playoff home runs than him, with 29.

His first three came in the same game, as he had a 3 home run game against the Boston Red Sox in Game 1 of the 2017 American League Division Series (ALDS). In that postseason, he hit 7 home runs as the Astros clinched their first World Series title.

His most memorable home run came in Game 6 of the 2019 American League Championship Series (ALCS) against the New York Yankees. With the game tied at 4-4 in the bottom of the 9th inning, he smashed a 2-run walk-off home run against Aroldis Chapman, which sent his team to the World Series.

Game 1 of the Wild Card series between the White Sox and Astros is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

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