Jose Altuve wanted a cycle-clinching triple so badly he forgot to watch out for second base

There were only four cycles all of last season, and just one in 2014. Point is, it's not an opportunity that comes around too often -- even if you're Jose Altuve, the current All-Star voting leader among AL second basemen and a man who can literally hit pitches above his head.

So, when Altuve stepped to the plate during Saturday night against the Royals needing a triple to achieve baseball history, he was excited. And when he shot a ball over the head of center fielder Lorenzo Cain, he was really excited. The race was on! Third base was in sight! Nothing could stop hi--

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Well, he'll just have to settle for a double. But look on the bright side:

He recorded his fastest home-to-2B time this season, 7.6 seconds. Top speed? 21.3 mph. https://t.co/7eU1wNdmTk — #Statcast (@statcast) June 26, 2016

Carlos Correa and Marwin Gonzalez went yard, and Altuve still went 4-for-5 with three RBIs to power the Astros to a 13-5 win (their seventh straight!). He also brought 63-year-old Terry Sims one game closer to becoming a millionaire: Sims made Altuve his Beat the Streak selection on Saturday night, running his streak up to 49 games -- just eight shy of surpassing Joe DiMaggio's iconic record and the $5.6 million grand prize.

Altuve explained what was going through his mind to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart after the game: "Yeah, I mean, everybody in the dugout was 'If you hit the ball in the gap, you've got to go to third,'" Altuve said. "I hit and it and I couldn't believe I hit it and I was like, 'Wow, now what?' I started running hard and I don't know what happened. I think I have to blame it on the helmet. The helmet fell down and hit my foot."

Correa, meanwhile, had a front row seat, and he later demonstrated what being an excellent teammate is all about: "I was in the on deck circle and I was like, 'Go, go go!'" he said. "He tripped and wasn't able to get it, so obviously we had to make fun of him. It was pretty funny the way the helmet hit his feet and then he just collapsed. It was funny, but obviously he had a great game. It feels like every day he has a great game. It's fun to watch."

Hey, at least that was undoubtedly the most embarrassing thing to ever happen to Jose Altuve while attempting to leg out a triple. Definitely can't think of any other unfortunate incidents on the basepaths.

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