Astros' Jose Altuve Breaks Craig Biggio's Franchise Single-Season Hits Record

In collecting hits No. 210 and 211 of the season Tuesday night against the Cleveland Indians, Jose Altuve of the Houston Astros broke Craig Biggio's franchise single-season hits record set back in 1998, per ESPN Stats & Info.

The record-tying base knock came on a fifth-inning double, after which Altuve set the new franchise mark with a single in the seventh.

The Astros' second baseman has put together one of the more productive campaigns in recent MLB history, as he's one of just eight players in the modern era to compile a 200-hit, 40-double and 50-steal season, according to MLB Stat of the Day. That stat line was most recently posted by Hanley Ramirez in 2007 with the Florida Marlins, and Ty Cobb is the only player in the modern era to have recorded two such years.

With numbers like these, it's no surprise that Altuve leads all of MLB with his 213 hits and a .344 batting average. Furthermore, his 53 steals entering Thursday are good for third in the majors, behind just Dee Gordon (62) and Billy Hamilton (56). Altuve has been somewhat selective with his baserunning, as he's been caught stealing less than half as many times as the two players above him.

Additionally, the Venezuela native has already set career-high marks in runs (81) and RBI (54). Altuve has never hit above .300 in any Major League season, and entering Wednesday he's on pace to shatter his previous career-best batting average by an astounding 54 points.

It took Biggio until Sept. 25 to set the mark in the 1998 season, and with 11 games remaining on the Astros' schedule, Altuve should have plenty of opportunities to raise the bar.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise specified.