Yordan Alvarez hits 3-run walk-off HR as Astros win Sport 1

HOUSTON — Yordan Alvarez smashed a game-ending, three-run homer with two outs within the ninth inning off Robbie Ray, wrecking the Seattle Mariners’ technique of utilizing a Cy Younger Award winner in a uncommon reduction position and vaulting the Houston Astros to an 8-7 victory Tuesday of their playoff opener.

Trailing all recreation after a poor begin by Justin Verlander, the AL West champion Astros overtook rookie star Julio Rodriguez and the wild-card Mariners on the finish to start their best-of-five Division Sequence.

Houston was down 7-5 when rookie pinch-hitter David Hensley reached with one out within the ninth as Seattle nearer Paul Sewald grazed his jersey with a pitch.

Sewald struck out Jose Altuve earlier than Jeremy Pena laced a single to middle subject to chase Sewald.

Mariners supervisor Scott Servais then made the daring transfer to usher in Ray, who began Saturday at Toronto within the AL wild-card collection, for a lefty vs. lefty matchup with Alvarez. Ray, who gained the Cy Younger final 12 months with Toronto, had made solely six reduction appearances in his profession and had by no means earned a professional save.

Alvarez, who hit 37 homers within the common season, despatched Ray’s second pitch deep into the seats in proper subject to set off a wild celebration together with his dad and mom within the stands.

His blast was the second walk-off house run in postseason historical past by a crew all the way down to its remaining out, in keeping with ESPN Stats & Info analysis. The opposite was Kirk Gibson’s walk-off house run off Dennis Eckersley to carry the Los Angeles Dodgers to a Sport 1 victory over the Oakland Athletics within the 1988 World Sequence.

The Mariners jumped on Verlander for six runs in simply 4 innings to construct a 6-2 lead early. Yuli Gurriel hit a solo homer within the Houston fourth earlier than Eugenio Suarez’s solo shot within the seventh prolonged Seattle’s result in 7-3.

A two-run homer by Alex Bregman off Andres Munoz reduce the result in 7-5 within the eighth inning to arrange the dramatic end.

The Related Press contributed to this report.