HOUSTON—At the end, he hoped, of a slump that had spread across much of October, the absolute worst time of year for soft contact and hard luck, Jose Altuve packed for Philadelphia on Saturday night the new owner of three hits in a single baseball game.
He wore a black T-shirt with a picture of a bear on it.
The bear wore aviator sunglasses and a button-down shirt and looked quite solemn, in contrast to the man wearing him.
That’s the best part about Altuve, his teammates swear, that being his unusual ability to believe in tomorrow.
That is, if today is no longer available.