Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer and grand slam during a nine-run first inning for the Houston Astros, who then hung on for a 10-8 victory over the host Kansas City Royals on Friday night.
Alvarez, an early AL MVP candidate, joins Lee May (1974) and Jeff Bagwell (1994) as Astros to homer twice in one inning. According to ESPN, Alvarez and David Ortiz, from 2008, are the only players since 1920 to hit two home runs and post six RBIs in a first inning.
Alvarez also singled.
Houston’s Brice Matthews clubbed a pinch-hit solo shot in the ninth after the Royals got within 9-8.
The Astros sent 12 men to the plate against the Royals’ Luinder Avila (1-3) in the first.
Jeremy Pena led off with a single and scored when Alvarez found the bullpen over the left-field fence. Christian Walker made it back-to-back homers with a shot to the same spot.
Avila got the next two batters, but Joey Loperfido walked, went to third on Cam Smith’s infield single, coupled with a throwing error by shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Taylor Trammell lined an RBI single to center field. Avila then walked Christian Vazquez to load the bases, and followed with a wild pitch to score Houston’s fifth run.
Avila exited after walking Pena to re-load the bags on his 49th pitch. Kansas City’s Mason Black entered and promptly served up Alvarez’s grand slam over the center field wall. Avila, meanwhile, was charged with eight runs while facing 10 batters in two-thirds of an inning.
The Royals, however, got five runs back in the bottom of the frame against Houston’s Tatsuya Imai, who was pulled after he threw 38 pitches and retired two of the seven batters he faced.
Three batters into the bottom of the first, Vinnie Pasquantino delivered an RBI single. Maikel Garcia reached on a run-scoring fielder’s choice and scored via Michael Massey’s double to right field, which chased Imai. With Houston’s Steven Okert on the mound, Kameron Misner’s single scored two.
Both bullpens were solid until the bottom of the eighth, when the Royals scored three runs — all charged to Enyel De Los Santos. Massey and Witt each recorded an RBI single and Carter Jensen drew a bases-loaded walk from Bryan King.
Nate Pearson (1-0) pitched two innings for the win.
