Alvarez hits 2-run homer in 9th to cap big night with Astros’ 10-8 victory over Rays

By: The Associated Press Posted: 9:44 PM CDT Saturday, Jul. 4, 2026

HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez hit a two-run homer off Casey Legumina with no outs in the ninth inning to cap a big night and give the Houston Astros a 10-8 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Saturday.

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The Rays had won nine in a row, the longest winning streak in the American League this season.

Named to his fourth All-Star team before the game, Alvarez homered twice and drove in six runs. He leads the AL with 29 homers and has four multi-homer games this season.

Houston Astros' Christian Vázquez dumps an ice chest on Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez after he hit a walk-off home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Houston, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Jon Shapley)

Jose Altuve drew a walk to open the ninth against Legumina (2-2). Altuve was 2 for 3 with two walks and three runs.

After Hunter Brown allowed a season-high seven runs over four innings, Houston’s bullpen combined to hold the Rays to a run over the final innings, with Josh Hader (3-0) earning the win.

Named to his second All-Star team on Saturday, Junior Caminero went deep with one out in the first inning to give the Rays a 1-0 lead. He has hit 11 home runs over his last 11 games and has 26 overall.

The Rays regained the lead when Richie Palacios hit a two-run homer in the second inning, and they scored three runs in the third and one in fourth to make it 7-2 before Yainer Diaz hit a two-run home run of his own in the bottom of the fourth.

Jonny DeLuca answered Alvarez’s fifth inning RBI single with a solo homer in the seventh, but Houston tied it with a three run seventh inning, capped by Zach Dezenzo’s pinch-hit, two-out RBI single off Craig Kimbrel.

Up next

RHP Peter Lambert (6-5, 3.51 ERA) was set to start for the Astros on Sunday in the series finale. The Rays had not announced a starter.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb