This isn't the first time teams have feared Yordan

Yordan Alvarez is getting the Barry Bonds treatment.

This became clear when the Astros’ slugger was intentionally walked with a man on first base in the ninth inning of Thursday’s ALDS Game 2. It’s easy to understand the Mariners’ decision after Alvarez tore their hearts out in Game 1 and made more home run history two days later.

And there's already a precedent of teams being extremely wary of the fearsome lefty masher since his days in the Minors.

Back in 2019 while with Triple-A Round Rock, Alvarez was hitting .361 with 20 homers and 64 RBIs through only 50 games. On May 31, in game No. 51, the Iowa Cubs basically decided they weren’t going to tempt fate. Instead, they intentionally walked Alvarez in three of his last four plate appearances –- once with a runner on second, once with a runner on third, and once with runners on second and third.

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The strategy didn’t ultimately work out for Iowa, which lost 8-1. So, the Cubs decided to challenge Alvarez in the first inning of the next game.

Oops.

Unsurprisingly, Alvarez was handed a free pass in each of his next two plate appearances. Although, is it really a “plate appearance” if the hitter never even bothers to stop by the batter’s box?

By the time of his fifth IBB in two days, Alvarez was so aware of the plan against him that he just stopped carrying a bat and instead headed straight from the dugout to first base.

Within a week, Alvarez would make his debut with the Astros and begin his path to the 2019 AL Rookie of the Year Award. He’s been terrorizing Major League pitchers ever since.

The intentional walk on Thursday was just the second of Alvarez’s postseason career -- the first was during that 2019 rookie campaign. But considering that he owns a .517 slugging percentage and a .916 OPS through 36 playoff appearances, other teams may decide to follow Seattle manager Scott Servais’ approach when Alvarez is due up in October.