HOUSTON -- Astros rookie slugger Yordan Alvarez has become a must-watch at-bat this season. Even during batting practice.

Alvarez is believed to be the first person to strike ¡°El Grande,¡± the massive scoreboard above right field, with a baseball when he did it during batting practice prior to Saturday¡¯s game against the Angels. The ball traveled an estimated 455 feet, the Astros said, and was struck so hard it temporarily cut the power to a panel on the lower-right portion of the scoreboard.

¡°It adds to his legacy, and I¡¯m OK with that,¡± said Astros Hall of Fame slugger Jeff Bagwell, who said he couldn¡¯t recall any players hitting the ball off the scoreboard in BP or the regular season.

The Astros¡¯ video production crew responded with a message and an arrow pointing to the blacked-out panel: ¡°Nice shot, Yordan!¡±

¡°Definitely was not thinking about that, but from the time I¡¯ve been here, the players have been asking me, ¡®When are you going to hit one off the scoreboard?¡¯¡± Alvarez said. ¡°I was just trying to hit the ball hard, man, and got it up into the scoreboard.¡±

Bobby Forrest, the Astros' vice president for stadium operations, went behind the scoreboard and found a cable that had been dislodged and reconnected it, restoring power before the game started.

"The biggest reaction a lot of guys were saying, 'There's no way you're 22 years old,¡¯¡± Alvarez said. ¡°Now after seeing this, they're like, 'Yeah, absolutely not.'"

Alvarez went 1-for-4 in Saturday's 5-2 win and is now hitting .325 with 19 home runs and 57 RBIs since getting called up June 9, making him the front-runner for American League Rookie of the Year. He¡¯s three homers shy of tying Carlos Correa¡¯s team rookie record of 22 homers set in 2015, but Alvarez is already doing things that no one has ever seen.

¡°Ridiculous, but he surprises me every single day with something new he does,¡± Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said.