YORDAN Alvarez tows the Houston Astros into the brink of the World Series title. AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Yordan Alvarez celebrated his return to Houston lineup with a home run and a 3-for-3 batting effort Sunday, putting the Astros on the brink of a World Series title.

The 22-year-old Cuban rookie who defected from his homeland in 2016 smacked a two-run homer in the second inning to put Houston ahead to stay in a 7-1 romp over Washington.

“He was a big catalyst,” said Astros manager A.J. Hinch.

“Feeling like you did the right thing is putting Yordan in the game and have him have three incredible at-bats, the first one being the most impactful, just being able to hit a missile to centerfield to kick-start our offense.”

The Astros seized a 3-2 lead in Major League Baseball’s best-of-seven final with game six on Tuesday in Houston.

Alvarez is typically the Astros’ designated hitter, but three games in Washington under National League rules force pitchers to hit and bench designated hitters.

But Hinch said he didn’t want to leave Alvarez out of the lineup three days in a row so he inserted him into a starting outfielder spot and reaped the rewards.

“The homer he got to get the early lead, the two singles, it’s huge to see him swinging the bat like that,” said Astros shortstop Carlos Correa, who snapped a 2-for-16 slump with a two-run homer of his own in the fourth inning after an Alvarez single.

“Now we go back home and he’s our DH at 22 for a reason. He’s young and powerful and he’s a great hitter. So we believe in him and we know he’s going to keep it going.”

Alvarez was thrilled at his first playoff homer, which made him the youngest Cuban to ever homer in the World Series.

“Very happy with the home run. All my teammates were saying, ‘Today is your day.’ And it happened. So very happy about it,” Alvarez said through a translator.

“Just looking for a pitch to hit. Looking for something in the middle. Not really thinking about home run, just trying to make hard contact and it went out.”

Alvarez said that growing up in Cuba, “I never thought I’d be here in the big leagues performing at the biggest stage.”

Alvarez took his off days and went to the batting cage to work on minor changes in pitching strategy and mechanics. They paid off.

“Just different adjustments to make, different pitches, and to be able to focus on any pitches in the zone, those were the basic things,” he said.

“Very happy to go back to Houston and do my job to hit as a DH.”

Hinch said he wasn’t worried about using Alvarez as a fielder in a pivotal playoff contest.

“I’m completely comfortable with Alvarez in left field,” Hinch said. “He’s limited in some ways in his range and in his experience, but he’s not a liability. He’s going to catch the balls he’s supposed to catch. He’s going to make the plays he’s supposed to make.”