Altuve’s throwing yips have Houston Astros on brink of ALCS elimination

2017 AL MVP has four errors in nine playoff games this year
Normally sure-handed fielder made no errors in regular season
Astros trail 3-0 in best-of-seven-games AL Championship Series

José Altuve’s sudden inability to make simple throws in the field has become one of the biggest stories of the Major League Baseball playoffs – and couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Houston Astros.

Altuve, who won a Gold Glove as the American League’s best defensive second baseman in 2015, made a throwing error on a routine ground ball during Tuesday night’s Game 3 of the ALCS that opened the door for the Tampa Bay Rays, who rallied to a 5-2 win and a commanding three-games-to-none lead in the best-of-seven series.