HOUSTON — Following the MLB All-Star break, the Houston Astros hosted a doubleheader against the New York Yankees, who sit atop of the league's standings, in Game 2 with a 7-5 win.  

Designated hitter and American League all-star, Yordan Alvarez, was activated from the injured list after missing the final seven games before the break due to a hand injury and couldn’t have been back at a better time.  

The first game versus the Yankees went down to the wire as first baseman J.J. Matijevic brought third baseman Alex Bregman home on a walk-off single to seal the win at 3 to 2. The victory gave the Astros momentum heading into the second game. However, the Yankees weren’t going to just hand over a season series win without a fight.  

“It's huge for us to start off 2 and O and take our lead back to double digits,” said Dusty Baker when asked how big it was to sweep the Yankees. The Seattle Mariners trail the Astros in the AL west division with an overall record of 51-42.   

The Yankees All-Star designated hitter, Aaron Judge, was greeted with boos as he led off for the Bronx Bombers and struck out as the home fans cheered.  

Second baseman Gleyber Torres and first baseman Matt Carpenter batted next but failed to get on base as the Yankees went three up and three down. From that moment on the Astros would not waste an opportunity to put away the best team in baseball.  

With Alvarez back in the lineup for the second game, the crowd’s excitement mounted as he approached home plate to bat. Swinging for the fences, Alvarez sent a pitch deep past left field into the stands for his 27th home run on a one to two pitch count. Bregman followed suit, hitting a home run of his own to give the Astros an early 2 to 0 lead.   

“It’s not the first time I’ve done it, so it doesn’t surprise me as much,” said Alvarez with a chuckle as he reflected on his first at-bat since coming off the injured list.   

MLB 2022 All-Star game Most Valuable Player, Giancarlo Stanton, struck out his first at-bat in the second inning and remained hitless during the game. The same would be true for Astros All-Star second baseman, Jose Altuve, who also went 0 for 4 during the evening. On the other hand, first-time All-Star Jeremy Pena took off for a double on a hit down the third-base line after catcher Martin Maldonado was hit by a pitch. Alvarez was next up and sent a bomb to centerfield off the wall to bring in two more runs, while Bregman’s hit soon after would bring Alvarez home, leaving the Astros with a lead of 5 to 0.   

The Yankees began to inch closer in the third inning as Torres hit a two-run home run, bringing in Judge who previously earned a base on walks, while also holding the Astros scoreless throughout the inning.   

Going into the fourth and fifth inning would be more of the same as both teams failed to do much until the sixth inning. Left fielder Chas McCormick’s two-run home run on a full count brought the stadium alive once again, extending the Astros’ lead to 7 to 2.   

As the top of the ninth inning approached, the Yankees had one last chance to put themselves ahead. Shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa got things going with a base hit, followed by another from pinch hitter D.J. LeMahieu. Pinch hitter Anthony Rizzo was up next and sent a fly ball to center field for an easy out. However, Judge was up next to bat.  

Unfortunately for the Astros, Judge punched in a three-run home run bringing the Yankees within striking distance with a score at 7 to 5 and only one out. Torres came behind Judge with a base hit of his own, but the Astros finished the game with a double play, tagging out Torres at second base and throwing out Carpenter at first.   

“We held him down pretty good this series, but ‘Big Boy’ is going to get you sooner or later and most of the time it’s at the wrong time,” said Baker when asked about Judges’ performance.  

The Astros are lined up to make a post-season run and look to continue their success through the remainder of the regular season.