Altuve relishing 1st 30-HR season: 'People thought I couldn't play' in MLB

Jose Altuve is basking in the glory of reaching a major personal milestone.

The Houston Astros second baseman smashed his 30th round-tripper of the campaign Friday against the Los Angeles Angeles, giving him 30 home runs in a season for the first time in his terrific nine-year career.

After the game, the six-time All-Star admitted his latest homer felt extra special because it further proved his naysayers wrong.

"I wouldn't say a goal, but it was like a dream come true," Altuve said, according to Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. "I always wanted to hit 30 homers. A lot of people thought I couldn't play in the big leagues. They kept telling me 'No, no.' And then, all of a sudden, I hit 30 homers; it's pretty cool."

Altuve, 29, joins teammates George Springer, Yuli Gurriel, and Alex Bregman as members of the 2019 Astros to reach the 30-homer mark.

"It just speaks to the depth of this team and the talent on this team and these guys have done tremendous things, both on an individual basis and as a team," manager A.J. Hinch said. "The numbers will be what they are at the end of the season, but needless to say, this is a special group of guys that are accomplishing some incredible things."

Altuve's previous season high in home runs was 24. He reached that mark in 2016 and again in his MVP-winning 2017 campaign.