Yordan Alvarez hits scoreboard with home run in practice

Yordan Alvarez is paid to throw baseballs long distances. As long as they clear the outfield fence, he has successfully done his job.

On Tuesday, before he and the Houston Astros played the Tampa Bay Rays, Alvarez crushed a ball during batting practice that flew over the fence and into the right-field bleachers at Tropicana Field. His hit reportedly ended up crashing into the Jumbotron, leaving the big digital screen a complete mess.

The Jumbotron remained out of order throughout the game, which the American League West-leading Astros won 3-2.

After the game, Alvarez explained that he and his teammates were engaged in their own home run derby during batting practice. He acknowledged winning, but he wasn’t about to take credit for BP’s prodigious blast that shattered the Jumbotron.

“You’re trying to get me in trouble,” Alvarez said, when asked if he was trying to hit the scoreboard. “If there wasn’t video that it was me, I don’t know who it was because I’m not paying that bill.”

It wasn’t the first time Alvarez broke a scoreboard during batting practice. In 2019, he damaged a small portion of the right-field LED screen at Minute Maid Park with a 455-foot shot.

It’s no surprise that Alvarez won Tuesday’s Home Run Derby with his teammates. He leads Houston with 25 home runs, averaging a team-best 409 feet per home run. He also owns the club’s longest HR of the season with 461 feet.