Astros Beat Blue Jays 3-2 After Dramatic Ninth-Inning Homer

TORONTO (AP) — Yainer Diaz hit a tiebreaking home run in the ninth inning, leading the Houston Astros to a 3-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday night. Diaz had previously opened the scoring with an RBI double in the second inning.

The Astros took a 2-0 lead with Carlos Correa‘s home run in the sixth, marking Correa’s 200th career homer. However, Toronto rallied to tie the game in the eighth, creating a tense atmosphere as both teams vied for dominance.

In the ninth inning, Diaz connected on a 95 mph fastball from Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman, restoring Houston’s lead. This marked Diaz’s 19th home run of the season and his fifth hit in the current series.

Astros pitcher Jason Alexander had an impressive outing, throwing seven scoreless innings while allowing only three hits. He walked one and struck out three before Steven Okert struggled in the eighth, leading to the Blue Jays tying the game.

Enyel De Los Santos secured the win after coming in for Okert and striking out George Springer, followed by a groundout from Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Bryan Abreu then closed the game for Houston, marking his fifth save of the season.

Toronto’s Hoffman, who allowed 15 homers this season, expressed disappointment after the game. ‘It’s just one bad pitch,’ he said, referencing the one to Diaz. ‘I still trust myself. It was a tough inning.’

The Astros improved their record to 79-67 and have had notable success against the Blue Jays this season, having now won four of five games between the teams. Houston’s manager Joe Espada praised Diaz’s performance, stating, ‘When he’s swinging at strikes, he is a very dangerous hitter.’

The series finale is scheduled for Thursday, with Kevin Gausman pitching for the Blue Jays against Cristian Javier of the Astros.