The Houston Astros got a big win against the Kansas City Royals in the final game of their series, and their big dogs came out to reel them in for a victory. That big dog happened to be Yordan Alvarez, who hit his 40th homer of the season during the game, making him the fifth player in franchise history to reach that mark.

Everyone knows what Alvarez is capable of, and Jeremy Pena couldn't do anything but show him praise for what he's been doing for the team this season.

“Obviously, Yordan is our horse,” Pena said via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. “When he goes we go. He’s been doing it all year. He’s been carrying us all year and he’s a key piece in the lineup.”

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Alvarez became the first Astros player to hit 40 long balls in a season since Alex Bregman in 2019. There's no doubt that he's playing at a different level this season, but the work that he did before the year helped him get to this point.

“It’s special because last year he dealt with a lot of injuries and a lot of people — I'm not going to say they forgot about him —  but they kind of did,” Pena said. “They kind of forgot about Yordan. He took it personally. He took it upon himself to take care of his body this year and stay on the field and stay healthy and he knows when he’s healthy he can put up MVP numbers. He’s shown it this year and it’s special to watch.”

The Astros are going to need this Alvarez for the remainder of the season going into the playoffs. With the win, they're one game ahead of the second-place Rangers in the AL West.