The Houston Astros held their own and took the series opener against the Yankees, winning 9-7. Somehow they were absolutely destroyed by the worst team in baseball just days earlier, but they kept the Yankees on their toes all night.
Here is a breakdown of exactly how the Astros got ahead in the series opener.
Starting off with pitching.
Ethan Pecko made his second major league start. He started the game throwing nothing but strikes, but after a few walks, he wasn't looking as good. Here is a look at his game stats:
Pecko went 4.1 innings, allowing five hits and five runs while walking two, and did not factor into the decision, per Yahoo Sports.
As for the rest of the game…
In the top of the first, Jeremy Peña struck out to open things, then Yordan Alvarez singled past Jazz Chisholm. Altuve was booed as he stepped to the plate, then grounded an infield single that shortstop George Lombard Jr. threw away, sending Alvarez to third. Varsho grounded out to end the inning, and Houston came away with nothing to show for it. And the Yankees escaped a jam.
But that was just the beginning…
Diaz got things started in the second, turning on the first pitch he saw for a home run, his 9th of the season, to put Houston up 1-0.
In the third, Altuve reached on a two-out single and moved up on a passed ball, and Varsho drove him in with an RBI single to make it 2-0.
That lead didn't last long. A leadoff walk and a single set the table for Cody Bellinger, fresh off the injured list, who launched a three-run homer to put the Yankees up 3-2. It was the first sign Pecko's night was slipping away.
That being said, Houston answered right back. Alvarez picked up another hit, Paredes walked, and Altuve lined out, but Alvarez advanced to third anyway. Varsho delivered again, his second RBI single of the night, tying the game.
But Pecko couldn't hold it. A two-run shot off the bat of Luis García Jr. put the Yankees back on top, 5-3, in the fifth. And the back-and-forth continued.
Peña had been quiet at the plate all night, but he ended that in the sixth with a two-run homer to tie it at 5-5.
The Yankees weren't done yet. New York pushed back in the seventh. García went 4 for 4 on the night, and a double in that inning put New York back ahead, 6-5. But it could've been worse; Peña took down Ben Rice at the plate on a strong throw home that Diaz turned into the out.
Diaz continued to have a strong night and opened the eighth with his second home run of the evening, tying it at 6-6. Peña reached, and Alvarez followed with a triple to bring him home and give the Astros their first lead since the second inning, 7-6. Paredes added an RBI single to make it 8-6.
The Yankees still weren't done in the eighth, but the Astros shut the door with a double play, Abreu making a wild catch at first to seal it. Cam Smith added a triple to left-center in the ninth, and Diaz picked up his third RBI of the night on a single, pushing the lead to 9-7. What a night for Diaz.
The Astros desperately needed this win. Turns out they aren't the only team capable of losing to a team they have no business losing to. The Yankees can do that too.
