HOUSTON -- The sting of a blowout loss to the Mariners still fresh on their minds, the Astros were able to set aside their frustration for a few minutes Saturday night and give a proper champagne toast to a franchise legend.

Astros second baseman Jose Altuve stood in front of his teammates and spoke some words in the clubhouse at Minute Maid Park -- which, if you know anything about Altuve, isn¡¯t something he enjoys. He likes to let his bat do his talking, and a glance at the back of his baseball card shows the makings of a Hall of Fame career.

An eight-time All-Star, a six-time Silver Slugger winner, the 2017 American League Most Valuable Player and a two-time World Series champion, Altuve became the third player in franchise history to reach 2,000 career hits with a fifth-inning single in the 10-3 loss.

¡°I know we lost today and not in a good way, but I¡¯m really happy and thankful with my teammates, my family and God,¡± said Altuve, who went 3-for-5. ¡°Two-thousand is a huge accomplishment.¡±

Altuve joined Hall of Famers Jeff Bagwell (2,314 hits) and Craig Biggio (3,060) as the only Astros to reach 2,000, and no one did it as fast as the 5-foot-6 Venezuelan. Altuve needed 1,631 games to reach the milestone and became the seventh active player -- and first who made his debut in 2011 or later -- to reach 2,000.

¡°As it was getting close, some guys on the team and family members started talking about 2,000, and you feel a little anxious and nervous about going to home plate and doing it,¡± Altuve said.

The crowd gave Altuve a standing ovation as he came off the field, and he tipped his helmet moments later and came out of the dugout for a curtain call. He¡¯s the 10th Venezuelan-born player to reach 2,000 hits.

¡°It means a lot,¡± Altuve said. ¡°To have my name next to a few other guys from Venezuela is obviously really good. Miguel Cabrera just hit 3,000 a year ago. That means a lot to me.¡±

The Mariners tagged struggling starter Framber Valdez for six runs and 10 hits in five innings to improve to 7-2 this season against Houston, winning the season series and securing the tiebreaker. The Astros remained 2 1/2 games behind the first-place Rangers in the AL West, with the Mariners now only 1 1/2 games behind Houston.

¡°We just had a glass of champagne and kind of broke the ice a little bit after a tough loss,¡± Astros manager Dusty Baker said. ¡°That's quite an accomplishment. ¡­ Hopefully, he can stay healthy and be around for the next 1,000.¡±

Not so fast, Altuve said when asked about going for 3,000.

¡°It's a long way,¡± the 33-year-old said. ¡°Let¡¯s go one hit at a time.¡±

Altuve entered Saturday needing two hits for 2,000, and a first-inning single put him on the cusp. He struck out in the third inning, but with a crowd of 38,280 on its feet in the fifth, he laced a 2-2 pitch from Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert into the left-field corner. Altuve, just like Biggio did when he reached 3,000 hits in 2007, tried to stretch the hit to a double and was thrown out at second base.

¡°That was pretty cool, pretty special,¡± Biggio said. ¡°I wish he would have been safe, but it¡¯s an incredible accomplishment. Two-thousand hits has only been done three times now [by an Astro], and I¡¯m really happy for him -- the path that he¡¯s on, the journey that he¡¯s had.¡±

That journey began in Venezuela, where Altuve was famously turned away from a tryout camp because he was deemed too small. He returned the next day and impressed Astros scouts with his bat-to-ball skills at 16 years old. He signed for $15,000 in 2007 and rose quickly through the system, making his debut in 2011.

In addition to having the third-most hits in franchise history, Altuve is now third on the club¡¯s charts in total bases (3,056), runs scored (1,030) and doubles (392), fourth in extra-base hits (623) and fifth in homers (201). Bagwell, Biggio and Altuve are clearly the three greatest players in franchise history.

¡°He goes out there and plays every day,¡± Biggio said. ¡°He takes his 600 at-bats, and he¡¯s an amazing player. What¡¯s he got, two or three batting titles? [He has three.] The awards that he has at home are pretty incredible. But he¡¯s a better person than he is a player, and I can¡¯t tell you how happy I am for him.¡±

Altuve hadn¡¯t yet had a chance to go through his phone to check his congratulatory messages, and maybe he wasn¡¯t in a mood after a tough loss. Plus, another game awaits Sunday. The countdown to 3,000 is underway.

¡°I got a few messages,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll answer tomorrow after the game. We play at 12, so¡­¡±