Altuve hits go-ahead homer in 9th, Astros take 3-2 lead over Rangers in ALCS after benches clear
Tony Gutierrez – staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jose Altuve hits a three-run home run off Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jose Leclerc (25) during the ninth inning in Game 5 of the ALCS.
Houston’s Jose Altuve (27) celebrates with Yainer Diaz (21) and Grae Kessinger (16) after all three scored on Altuve’s home run during the ninth inning.
Associated Press
Houston's Alex Bregman (2) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run in the first inning.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander throws against the Texas Rangers during the first inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado (15) talks with starting pitcher Justin Verlander during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series against the Texas Rangers Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Texas Rangers' Adolis Garcia celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Texas Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Texas Rangers' Corey Ragsdale, center, gets between Adolis Garcia (53) and Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado after Garcia was hit by a pitch during the eighth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros' Alex Bregman (2) celebrates after hitting a home run against the Texas Rangers during the first inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Texas Rangers starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery walks through the dugout after being pulled during the sixth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros' Jose Abreu hits an RBI single against the Texas Rangers during the sixth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) watches after giving up a home run to Texas Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe, left, during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Texas Rangers' Nathaniel Lowe (30) celebrates with Mitch Garver after hitting a home run against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Texas Rangers' Adolis Garcia celebrates in the dugout after hitting a three-run home against the Houston Astros during the sixth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Texas Rangers' Adolis Garcia, right, watches his three-run home run along with Houston Astros catcher Martin Maldonado during the sixth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) hands the ball to manager Dusty Baker Jr. (12) as he is pulled during the sixth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series against the Texas Rangers Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Texas Rangers' Adolis Garcia, right, watches his three-run home run along with Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander (35) and catcher Martin Maldonado during the sixth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros' Jose Altuve (27) hits a three-run home run off Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jose Leclerc (25) during the ninth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros' Jose Altuve hits a three-run home run against the Texas Rangers during the ninth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros' Jose Altuve (27) runs the bases after hitting a three-run home run as first base coach Omar Lopez (22) celebrates and Texas Rangers first baseman Nathaniel Lowe (30) watches during the ninth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Houston Astros' Jose Altuve, left, celebrates with Yainer Diaz (21) and Grae Kessinger (16) after all three scored on Altuve's home run during the ninth inning in Game 5 of the baseball American League Championship Series against the Texas Rangers Friday, Oct. 20, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
ARLINGTON, Texas – Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros, after getting into another bench-clearing scuffle with the Texas Rangers, rallied for a 5-4 victory Friday in a wild and testy Game 5 of the AL Championship Series.
After winning all three matchups at rival Texas, the defending World Series champion Astros head back home to Houston needing one win to capture a third consecutive pennant. They lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven playoff going into Game 6 on Sunday night.
Adolis García punctuated his towering three-run homer in the sixth with a slow trot and an empathic spike of his bat after watching the ball clear the wall to give Texas a 4-2 lead.
When the slugger came to bat again with a runner on first in the eighth, Bryan Abreu hit García on the left arm with a pitch. An angry García immediately turned to get in the face of catcher Martín Maldonado – the two also jawed nose-to-nose when García touched home plate after his grand slam in Houston on July 26.
Both benches and bullpens cleared, although it didn’t appear any punches were thrown as the teams gathered and grabbed hold of each other near home plate. Once things settled down, García, Abreu and Astros manager Dusty Baker had been ejected.
Rangers closer José Leclerc gave up a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Yainer Diaz and walked pinch-hitter Jon Singleton at the bottom of the lineup to begin the Houston ninth. Altuve then pulled an 0-1 changeup over the left-field fence, just beyond the glove of a leaping Evan Carter.
It was the 26th career postseason homer for Altuve, second in major league history behind Manny Ramirez (29). The 5-foot-6 star second baseman was playing in his 101st postseason game – all with the Astros.
García connected off three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth before Corey Seager doubled, Carter singled and García homered in a span of three pitches.
Nathaniel Lowe also went deep for the wild-card Rangers, tying it 1-all in the fifth.
Alex Bregman homered early for Houston, which is in its seventh straight ALCS and is trying to get to its fifth World Series in that span. The defending champs are 40-45 this year at Minute Maid Park, including 1-3 in the postseason.
But they are 5-0 on the road and have won 19 of their past 22 games away from home overall.
García, the Cuban slugger known as El Bombi, took a couple of slow steps out of the batter’s box after connecting and was about halfway down the baseline when the ball landed in the first row of seats a few feet beyond the left-center wall. It was his fourth homer this postseason.
That go-ahead homer in the 42nd inning of this series was the first time the home team took the lead at any point through the first five games.