Diaz Powers Comeback
Alex Diaz provided the offensive spark for the Houston Astros, hitting two home runs to help secure a 9-7 victory over the New York Yankees. Diaz’s first blast came in the second inning, a 383-foot shot to left-center that gave Houston an early 1-0 lead.
His second homer arrived in the eighth inning, a 356-foot drive to right field that tied the game at 6-6 and set the stage for the decisive runs.
Key Innings Shift Momentum
The Yankees initially took control in the third inning when Cody Bellinger homered to right field, driving in three runs to make it 2-3. Houston responded in the fifth inning with a pair of scores: Yordan Alvarez drove in one run on a Varsho single, and García Jr. followed with a two-run homer to put the Astros ahead 5-3.
New York tied the game at 5-5 in the sixth when Peña homered to left-center, bringing Diaz home. The seventh inning saw García Jr. double to right, scoring Grisham to give Houston a brief 6-5 advantage.
The eighth inning proved decisive. After Diaz’s tying homer, Alvarez tripled to right to score Peña, making it 7-6. Paredes then singled to center to bring Alvarez home, extending the lead to 8-6. Chisholm Jr. added an RBI single later in the frame, pushing the margin to 8-7 before Houston sealed the win in the ninth.
Closing Out the Game
In the top of the ninth, Diaz singled to left field. Smith scored on a fielding error by Yankees left fielder Bellinger, who also allowed Diaz to advance to second base. This final run gave Houston the 9-7 lead they would not relinquish.
Pitching Performances
Bryan Abreu earned the win (5-3) for Houston, pitching one inning and allowing three hits and one earned run. Josh Hader recorded his 19th save with 1.1 scoreless innings, striking out one batter.
Houston’s starting pitcher Ethan Pecko took the loss in a tough outing. He pitched 4.1 innings, allowing five hits and five earned runs while walking four batters. Bennett Sousa contributed 1.2 shutout innings, while Steven Okert and Bryan Abreu allowed one earned run each over their respective stints.
For New York, Will Warren started for the Yankees, throwing five innings with two earned runs and four strikeouts. Fernando Cruz took the loss (6) after allowing two earned runs in one inning. Yerry De los Santos pitched a scoreless inning, while Brent Headrick (7-3, 2) gave up three earned runs in 0.2 innings. Bradley Hanner finished with 1.1 innings, striking out three batters.
The Astros improved to 66-66 on the season, while the Yankees fell to 74-57. The game was played at Yankee Stadium with an attendance of 43,229.
Sources
https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401816667
