Astros Altuve’s march to 1,500 hits began with Al Pedrique

The Astros’ Little Giant José Altuve reached a crucial milestone Sunday on a career that may ultimately land him among the immortals enshrined at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.

Altuve, 29, collected the 1,500th hit of his career Sunday with a three-run home run against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium, reaching the milestone faster than any player in Astros history. More impressively, the six-time All-Star and former American League Most Valuable Player got to 1,500 hits at a faster pace than all-time hits king Pete Rose.

As Altuve marches toward 3,000 hits, it’s important to remember Al Pedrique, the scout who fudged his height to help him sign with the Astros out of Venezuela.

“I said, ‘Just sign the kid. He wants a chance to play baseball,'” Pedrique recalls.

The Venezuelan superstar collected the 1,500th, 1,501st and 1,502nd hits of his career in the 1,190th game of his career. He easily surpassed the previous Astros franchise mark set by Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell by 174 games. Moreover, Rose had only 1,401 hits by the 1,190th game of his career.

Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, a member of the exclusive 3,000-hit club, was 32 when he got his 1,500th hit for the Astros in his 1,401st game on April 24, 1998. Bagwell got his 1,500th hit on his 32nd birthday in his 1,364th game.

Astros legend José Cruz got his 1,500th hit in his 1,417th game, and Cesar Cedeño got his 1,500th in his 1,366th game.

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