Things didn’t go as planned for the Astros, as they lost two out of three to the Los Angeles Angels on the road during the week. After a day off, Houston traveled to Kansas City for a weekend series against the Royals.
A full game’s worth of runs were scored in the first inning before everything came down to Earth. Everything slowed down after that as the Houston Astros came out on top 10-8 to improve to 32-39 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
If you’re a fan of low-scoring games, then you’ll want to skip over the first inning of Friday night’s game. Houston put up nine runs at the top of the first, recording six runs in the process. Jeremy Pena singled into right field before Yordan Alvarez and Christian Walker hit back-to-back home runs. Joey Loperfido and Cam Smith kept the team on the base paths with a walk and an infield single that put runners on the corners.
The scoring continued when Taylor Trammell hit an RBI single into center field, Christian Vasquez walked to load the bases, and all three runners advanced on a passed ball for the Astros’ fourth run. Houston got back to the top of the order with Pena drawing a walk, and Alvarez capitalized on another first-inning opportunity at the plate by hitting a grand slam over the center field wall. That 419-foot bomb gave the Stros a nine-run advantage.
Kansas City answered as best they could at the bottom of the first with a five-run inning that didn’t feature a home run. Carter Jensen and Bobby Witt Jr. led off by getting on base, setting up Vinnie Pasquantino and Maikel Garciato to hit an RBI single and a sacrifice grounder to score the Royals’ first two runs. After Jac Caglianone struck out, Salvador Perez singled, and Michael Massey hit an RBI double to set up runners at second and third base. Kameron Misner’s two-RBI single then cut the Astros’ lead to just four, making it a 9-5 game with eight innings to go.
Neither starting pitcher made it out of the first inning. Kansas City’s Luinder Avila was replaced by Mason Black ahead of Alvarez’s grand slam. Avila’s final stat line was five hits, eight runs, two home runs, and three walks in .2 innings. Houston’s Tatsuya Imai was also taken out before the third out of the inning, giving up four hits, five runs, a walk, striking out one, and being replaced by Steven Okert.
The early pitching changes forced both teams to adjust to a Johnny Wholestaff approach to the game, with no one pitcher going more than 2.1 innings. Those consistent changes on the mound slowed down each offense in the following innings.
Houston threatened to score multiple times in the second, third, and seventh innings. In the second and third, the Astros led the frame with either a walk or getting hit by a pitch, followed by a deep single into the corners of the outfield. Runners would be 90 feet from home plate, only to get stranded on groundouts to end each inning. In the seventh, Trammell doubled and advanced to third on a Vasquez foul out near right field, and also got left on base on a groundout to Kansas City’s shortstop by Pena.
The Royals put a run on the board in the eighth, ending a six-inning scoring drought. Garcia hit a leadoff single and advanced to second on a Perez left-field single. Massey then brought in the run by also hitting into left field. That prompted Houston to make a pitching change, going from Enyel De Los Santos to Bryan King. King struck out pinch-hitter Lane Thomas, but hit Isaac Collins with a pitch to load the bases, and walked Jensen to score another run. Witt Jr then cut it to a one-run game with an infield single heading into the final inning.
Brice Matthews pinch-hit for Loperfido and broke the silence for Houston at the top of the ninth with a solo shot into left field. Josh Hader was also the team’s closer, shutting the door on Kansas City in the ninth to secure the 10-8 win and series lead for the Astros.
BIG NUMBER: 1
The hot start for Alvarez made him the first player in MLB history to have multiple home runs, including a grand slam, and 6+ RBI in the first inning of a ball game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Yordan Alvarez
Alvarez did most of his damage in the explosive first inning but still finished with a great game. Houston’s slugger went 3/5 from the plate with two home runs and six RBI as the Astros improved to a 32-39 record with a 10-8 win over the Royals.
UP NEXT: Game two between the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals is set for Saturday, June 13th. First pitch from Kauffman Stadium is scheduled for 6:10 PM, and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette and 104.1 Lake Charles.