When Jose Altuve made his major league debut on July 20, 2011, the Houston Astros held a 32-65 record and were last place in the National League Central. They finished the season with the worst record in Major League baseball at 56-106.
Altuve was told he was temporary, until the team found a new second baseman. And yet, he sat at the front of a press conference on Wednesday at Minute Maid Park, discussing what led to the five-year, $125 million contract extension he agreed to this week. When asked about those early days, his response elicited a chuckle from the audience.
“I forgot about all those,” Altuve said.
The Astros didn’t have a winning season until 2015, when they went on to lose the ALDS. Two years later, they won the World Series. During that time, Altuve settled in Houston with his wife, Nina, who he married in 2006.
“We bought our first house in 2013,” Altuve said. “And we stayed here in the offseason a few years and we decided, this is home. We like the people. We like our teammates, and when we go out, we like the way they treat us [like] we’re from here. So, we decided to make Houston our home.”
As much as Houston claims Altuve, he claims the city itself—from when he was a 5-foot-6, 16-year-old infielder from Venezuela who defied what he was told by showing up for another day of Astros tryouts with a passport in hand, to when he slipped his arms through the sleeves of the jersey on Wednesday, when the city declared Feb. 7, 2024 as “Jose Altuve Day.” For him, it’s not just cementing his legacy with one organization, but being able to stay in a place he’s built a life through the trials of the early years and successes of the recent ones.
“I have, honestly, two homes,” Altuve said. “I grew up in Venezuela, my country. Every time I go to bed, I tell my wife, ‘Let’s go home,’ and then when it’s time to come back, I tell her, ‘Let’s come back home.’ So, it’s good to have two places where you can live where you think it’s your home. We live the best life.”
It wasn’t just about being a member of the Astros. He wanted to keep his family in the city of Houston—where he has built a life, and even personally helped lift the spirits of its citizens through Hurricane Harvey. He was named Sports Illustrated’s co-Sportsperson of the Year alongside Houston Texans star J.J. Watt in 2017, which culminated in a World Series win, and personal relief efforts.
The city itself is his home, and that was regardless of what team he played for. Though, he had a preference.
“A lot of people started talking about the issue last year,” Altuve said. “My wife and I have a lot of conversations about it if we’re gonna go somewhere else or if we’re gonna stay here, and I found the best-case scenario was always here. I come back every day after a night game and I see my daughter sleeping. I can wake up the next day and take her to school. So, that was the conversation where everything started and we decided to stay here in Houston.
“We will never move from here. Even if I go somewhere else to play, but I think it was just better to play with my teammates with my friends. They’ve seen me grow as a player.”
But the important thing was the feeling was mutual from the team, even as Altuve’s agent, Scott Boras, wanted to make sure he was paid like the eight-time All-Star he is.
“The main thing about your job with him is that you’re dealing with a remarkably humble man and one of the toughest negotiations is with Jose because he is someone that really has a very modest viewpoint,” Boras said.
It’s the people that make Houston for Altuve. A large contingent of his teammates, such as Yordan Álvarez, Jeremy Peña, David Hensley and even retired Astros legend Craig Biggio, attended his big day.
