Yordan Alvarez claims ALCS MVP

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez was named MVP of the American League Championship Series on Friday after helping his club clinch their third AL pennant in five years.

The 24-year-old hit .522/.538/.870 over the six-game series, racking up five extra-base hits with six RBIs. In the series-clinching Game 6, Alvarez went 4-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored.

"I was just focused on doing the job," Alvarez said through a translator following the game, according to the Associated Press.

Alvarez now has the fifth-highest batting average in a single playoff series among hitters with at least 25 plate appearances, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.

The 2019 AL Rookie of the Year returned from injury this season after requiring arthroscopic surgery on both knees last year. Alvarez slashed .277/.346/.531 with 33 homers, 35 doubles, and 104 RBIs over 144 games played.

Alvarez joins Jose Altuve (2019), Justin Verlander (2017), Roy Oswalt (2005), and Mike Scott (1986) as Astros to be named LCS MVP. Oswalt and Scott won theirs while Houston still played in the National League, making Alvarez, Altuve, and Verlander the only ALCS MVPs in team history.

Alvarez was originally acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a 2016 trade for Josh Fields. The reigning-champion Dodgers currently trail the Atlanta Braves 3-2 in the NLCS.