After a successful series versus the Miami Marlins, the Houston Astros traveled up to New York to wrap up their East Coast road trip. Their weekend matchup was against the Yankees. Friday’s contest went into extras with the Astros coming out on top 5-3, improving their record to 65-51.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Astros jumped out to an early lead to open the game.
With one out in the first inning, Jesus Sanchez singled into center field, and Jose Altuve stepped up to put Houston ahead. The 35-year-old went yard to score two and silence the crowd after getting booed on his way up to the plate. The home run went 389 feet over the left field wall.
Houston’s starting pitcher, Hunter Brown, stood strong to start the game. New York’s batting lineup recorded just one hit through the first five innings. The lone hit was a ground-rule double by Ben Rice at the bottom of the first. Brown also struck out four Yankee batters in that span. Those batters were Jazz Chisholm Jr, Aaron Judge, and Jasson Dominguez twice.
The Astros threatened to score in the fourth when Taylor Trammel, Mauricio Dubon, and Cam Smith hit back-to-back-to-back singles to load the bases with one out. Jeremy Pena ended the top of the frame by hitting into a groundout double play at second base.
New York tied the game at the bottom of the sixth. Ryan McMahon led off with a walk, then nine-hole hitter Austin Wells doubled into right field, putting both runners in scoring position. After a Trent Grisham flyout, Rice hit an RBI single to score the Yankees’ first run. Judge followed that up with a hit himself, tying the game at two after Wells scored.
Brown was replaced after the tying run by Bennett Sousa. Brown’s final statline was four hits, two runs, one walk, and five strikeouts in 5.1 innings. Sousa lasted 1.2 innings, not allowing a hit, and punched out a pair of Yankees.
Over the final two innings, Bryan Abreu and Josh Hader pitched hitless baseball to stay knotted up at two apiece. Hader in the ninth forced Judge to pop out to Pena at shortstop, Cody Bellinger to line out in left, and Chisholm Jr to fly out to Pena again, sending the game into extra innings.
At the top of the 10th, Altuve started on second base and was sent home by a RBI single by Carlos Correa to give the Astros the one-run advantage. Christian Walker grounded into a fielder’s choice, getting Correa out at second. Yainer Diaz did the same with a fielder’s choice up the middle. With two outs, Trammell extended Houston’s lead with a two-run home run out in right-center field. The ball traveled 383 feet and put the Stros ahead 5-2 heading into the bottom of the frame.
Hader remained on the mound at the bottom of the frame. Amed Rosario, who pinch-hit for Dominguez, flew out to begin the inning. Anthony Volpe cut into the Astro lead with an RBI single into left, scoring Chisholm Jr. Paul Goldschmidt came in to hit for Ryan McMahon and proceeded to fly out before Giancarlo Stanton walked to keep New York alive. That effort was all for not, as Grisham lined out, sealing the 5-3 win for the Astros. That win improved Houston’s record to 65-51.
BIG NUMBER: 2
The Houston Astros hit two massive home runs in the series-opening game. Both were at the bookends of the game, with Jose Altuve hitting the first at the top of the initial inning, and Taylor Trammell was responsible for the other in the 10th inning to extend Houston’s lead.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Taylor Trammell
Trammell was Houston’s hero in the 10th when he hit the two-run blast to extend the team’s lead with two outs. That was the second hit for the 27-year-old on the night. Jose Altuve also had a two-run homer and had two hits in Friday’s game with a pair of RBI as the Astros came out on top 5-3 in extra innings.
UP NEXT: Game two between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees is set for Saturday, August 9th. First pitch from Yankee Stadium is scheduled for 1:05 pm, and the action can be heard on ESPN 103.7 Lafayette 104.1 Lake Charles.