Astros Altuve wins American League batting title
HOUSTON -- Jose Altuve talked his way into the lineup and wrapped up the American League batting title with two more hits for the Houston Astros, beaten 8-3 by the New York Mets after Bobby Abreu sparked the decisive rally Sunday with a base hit in his final big league at-bat.
Lucas Duda homered and drove in four runs, Bartolo Colon reached 15 wins for the eighth time and the Mets finished second in the NL East, their highest spot in the standings since 2008. New York (79-83) won its last two games to improve by five wins over consecutive 74-88 records the previous two years.
Initially benched by the Astros in an attempt to protect his lead in the batting race, Altuve reiterated his desire to play and the team relented, revealing he was added to the starting lineup in a Twitter post about 35 minutes before the first pitch.
The mini-saga made for a bizarre morning at Citi Field, but Altuve was hardly affected at the plate. He went 2 for 4 with a ground-rule double and a run-scoring infield single, ending the season with 225 hits and a .341 average - both best in the majors.
Altuve began the day with a three-point lead over Detroit slugger Victor Martinez, who went 0 for 3 and finished at .335.
Houston (70-92) improved by 19 wins over last year, the second-best turnaround in the majors behind the Los Angeles Angels.
Duda's two-run double off rookie Nick Tropeano (1-3) snapped a fifth-inning tie, moments after Abreu singled to left field in a fitting farewell.
After announcing Friday that he planned to retire when the season was over, the 40-year-old Abreu received his first start Sunday since July 25. He got a standing ovation from the crowd of 34,897 following his 2,470th career hit and teared up as he doffed his helmet.
Altuve, a fellow Venezuelan, tossed the souvenir ball to Abreu at first base and sidled over for a warm handshake. A choked-up Abreu hugged pinch-runner Eric Young Jr. and headed to the dugout.
Duda hit a two-run shot in a four-run eighth to give him 30 home runs and 92 RBIs in a breakout season. Ruben Tejada added a two-run homer of his own.
The 41-year-old Colon (15-13) gave up three runs and eight hits in six innings, surpassing 200 innings for the season.
Tropeano, who grew up nearby on Long Island, had a large cheering section behind the Houston dugout that chanted his name at times during his fourth major league start.
Among those expected were his college coach, Matt Senk, and members of the baseball team at Stony Brook University, where Tropeano played. One young young fan held a sign that read "Go Uncle Nick."
