Yordan Alvarez gave Houston its latest September jolt Thursday, hammering his 40th home run of the season as the Astros beat the Royals, 6-2, at Daikin Park. It was a season-high five-homer night for Houston, which climbed to 77-76 with nine games left on the schedule.
The win pushed the Astros one game above .500 after they opened the day tied with the Rangers atop the American League West. Houston holds the tiebreaker over Texas, adding weight to every game down the stretch.
Quick facts
- Alvarez became the fifth player in Astros history to produce a 40-homer season.
- His fifth-inning drive off Seth Lugo made it 4-1 Houston.
- Jeremy Peña, Daulton Varsho and LaMonte Wade Jr. also homered in the win.
- Bryan King and Ethan Pecko retired 14 consecutive Royals after an early first-inning scare.
- Peña reached 20 homers, becoming Houston’s fifth 20-homer hitter this season.
Alvarez’s milestone shot was a towering blast to right field against Lugo in the fifth. Wade had opened that inning with a solo homer, and Alvarez followed to give the Astros a three-run cushion.
Peña set the tone with a leadoff homer in the first inning, while Varsho went deep in the second. Peña’s blast was his second leadoff homer in three games.
Alvarez is Houston’s first 40-homer man since Alex Bregman hit 41 in 2019. The franchise’s previous members of the club are Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman and Richard Hidalgo.
Bagwell, the Astros’ career home run leader, hit 42 in 1999, 43 in 1997 and a club-record 47 in 2000. Berkman reached 42 in 2002 and 45 in 2006, while Hidalgo belted 44 in 2000.
Peña and Alvarez had taken early batting practice before Tuesday’s opener of the three-game set, looking to shake off recent offensive struggles. They finished the series with five homers between them.
Peña’s 20th homer also placed him alongside Alvarez, Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith and Christian Walker as Astros with at least 20 long balls this season.
The pitching path was not clean at the outset. Opener Miguel Ullola threw nine consecutive balls, loading the bases with no outs on two walks and a hit batter.
Ullola escaped with only one run allowed after inducing a double play. King worked 1 1/3 innings and Pecko covered 5 2/3, with the pair retiring the next 14 Kansas City hitters to keep Houston in control.
