Jose Altuve talked his way into the lineup and wrapped up the American League batting title with two more hits for the Astros, beaten 8-3 by the Mets Sunday.
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 Tigers slugger Victor Martinez, who went 0-for3 and finished at .335.
Altuve is the first Astro ever to win a batting title.