Astros vs Royals Recap: Astros win 10-8 in wild late rally

The Houston Astros walked into Kauffman Stadium hungry for a win. They came off a loss the night before and needed to bounce back badly. The Royals were struggling too, sitting at 28-42 with three straight losses. But Houston came ready to play. In the first inning, the Astros went absolutely wild. Yordan Alvarez stepped up and crushed a fastball to left field—368 feet of pure power. The ball soared over the wall and Jeremy Peña scored. Just moments later, Christian Walker launched his own blast to left, another 370-foot moonshot. Houston wasn't done yet. The Astros kept the line moving, and after some quick hits and wild pitches, the scoreboard spun out of control. By the time the first inning ended, Houston led 5-0. The Royals had barely stepped out of the dugout.

Kansas City wasn't going to roll over without a fight. In the bottom of the first inning, the Royals scored three runs and got themselves on the board. But Houston's lead was just too big. The Astros pounded starter Luinder Avila so hard that he had to leave after just one inning pitched. Then Mason Black came in and things got worse for Kansas City. Alvarez stepped up again and cranked another home run—this time a massive 419-foot shot to center field. Three more runs scored on that blast. Houston stretched their lead to 9-3. The Royals kept scratching back. Michael Massey doubled. Kameron Misner singled to drive in two more runs. But no matter what Kansas City did, Houston stayed far ahead.

The Astros' pitching staff locked down tight after that. Even though Kansas City kept fighting in the eighth inning and scored more runs—Michael Massey singled, Carter Jensen walked, and Bobby Witt Jr. reached on an infield single to make it 9-8—Houston held the lead. In the top of the ninth, Brice Matthews stepped to the plate and delivered the final punch. He smashed a 433-foot home run to left field. That gave the Astros a 10-8 cushion they wouldn't give up. Josh Hader came in as the closer and shut the door tight. Houston escaped with a huge road win, improving to 33-39 on the season. Kansas City fell to 28-43 and lost their fourth straight game.