Alvarez walk-off HR lifts Astros past Rays
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- Yordan Alvarez smashed two home runs including a 424-foot walk-off two-run shot in the bottom of the ninth to break an 8-8 tie and lift the Astros to a 10-8 win over the Rays
- Alvarez drove in six runs, leads the American League with 29 home runs, has four multi-homer games this season, and was named to his fourth All-Star team before the game
- Alvarez's walk-off was his second on the Fourth of July — he also hit a 444-foot ninth-inning shot to beat the Royals on July 4, 2022
- The Tampa Bay Rays had their nine-game winning streak — the longest in the AL this season — snapped by the loss
- Starter Hunter Brown allowed a season-high seven runs over four innings, but Houston's bullpen combined to hold Tampa Bay to one run over the final five frames, with Josh Hader (3-0) earning the win
- Rays rookie Junior Caminero, named to his second All-Star team on Saturday, opened the scoring with a first-inning homer — his 26th of the year and his 11th in the past 11 games
- Jose Altuve went 2-for-3 with two walks and three runs, drawing the leadoff walk in the ninth that set up Alvarez's walk-off heroics
Why it matters: Alvarez's two-homer, six-RBI night — on the eve of his fourth All-Star selection — cements his status as the AL home run leader with 29 long balls and four multi-homer games. For Tampa Bay, the loss ended a nine-game streak that was the American League's longest this season, a rare setback for a team that had been the AL's hottest entering the break.
