HOUSTON - - The Houston Astros offense looked anemic against the visiting Detroit Tigers for four innings on Monday night. They could only get two hits off Tigers starter Matthew Boyd and were down 4-0. Although the season is still in its early stages, Houston’s bats were ice cold.

The Astros cut the lead to 4-1 with an RBI single from shortstop Jeremy Peña that drove in second baseman Mauricio Dubon. Third baseman Alex Bregman was hit by Tigers reliever Jose Cisneros which helped Peña advance to second base.

As the next batter approached home plate, the fans in attendance rose to their feet, knowing that the game could be tied with one swing of the bat of slugger Yordan Alvarez. He approached the plate with his usual stoic look to let the opposing pitcher know he is about business.

Three pitches later, the game was tied at four a piece.

Alvarez’s 435-foot home run helped the Astros jump-start their offense, but they would eventually lose the game in extra innings 7-6. His 100th career home run made him the 19th player in franchise history to reach the 100-homer mark. He reached that mark in 372 games, the fastest by an Astros player, topping former Astros first baseman Lance Berkman, who hit his 100th career homer in his 452nd game.

“When I hit it, in the moment, I really wasn’t thinking about that,” Alvarez said about his accomplishment through an interpreter. “I knew I was like one or two away, but I wasn’t really thinking about it. My thought was, at the moment, ‘OK, cool, I tied the game there.’ And then I didn’t notice it until I looked up at the screen. And it said home run 100. It’s cool.”

His teammates have seen Alvarez continue to grow and develop at the plate. Something they knew would happen when he was called up to the big leagues.

“I believe that he set the record so fast,” said Alex Bregman. “In his second at-bat he went oppo (opposite field) homer by the gas pump. He’s been impressive ever since he got called up to the big leagues. Even before that. I think he might have hit 20 [home runs] in Triple-A before he even got called up. So, he’s been unbelievable. He hits the ball all over the field with power and is a special part of our lineup.”

The Astros will be back in action on Tuesday for the second game of a three-game series against the Tigers.