Houston grabs the win in dramatic fashion
Altuve's walk-off slam lifts Astros over Rangers
Jun 15, 2021, 10:54 pm
Jose Altuve blasted the game-winning grand slam Tuesday against the Rangers. Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images
Jose Altuve blasted the game-winning grand slam Tuesday against the Rangers.
With the recent 6-3 road trip behind them and fresh off a day off on Monday, the Astros returned home to Minute Maid Park on Tuesday night to welcome in the Rangers for a quick two-game set, kicking off 20 days of consecutive games. After trailing most of the game, Carlos Correa forced extra innings, where Jose Altuve would play the hero to win the game for the Astros.
Final Score: Astros 6, Rangers 3
Astros' Record: 38-28, second in the AL West
Winning Pitcher: Ryan Pressly (3-1)
Losing Pitcher: Demarcus Evans (0-2)
McCullers Jr. returns from the IL
After three scoreless innings by Lance McCullers Jr. in his return from the IL, the Rangers would get a run, the first of the game, against him in the top of the fourth. Then, after the first out in the fifth, Texas would load the bases against him on two walks and an error, forcing him out of the game as Dusty Baker would bring in Blake Taylor for damage control. Taylor issued a four-pitch walk to bring in a run against his first batter before retiring the next two, finalizing McCullers Jr.'s line at 4.1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 77 P.
Odorizzi does his job to piggyback, Correa forces extras
As previously noted by Houston's manager, Jake Odorizzi came in to piggyback McCullers starting in the top of the sixth to get some work while Houston benefits from having six healthy starters. He worked around a leadoff single for a scoreless inning in the sixth, then in the home half, Houston was able to load the bags with one out on three singles. Yuli Gurriel delivered a sac fly to cut the deficit in half, but that's all they would get as the game moved on.
After a scoreless seventh on both sides, Odorizzi worked around another single in the top of the eighth to keep the score at 2-1. Houston went down 1-2-3 for the second straight frame in the bottom of the inning, then Odorizzi kept going in the top of the ninth, recording his fourth scoreless inning. Down to their last out, Carlos Correa would keep the game alive by launching a solo homer to tie the game 2-2 and forcing extra innings.
CORREA. CLUTCH. pic.twitter.com/wOdATeQPeo
— MLB (@MLB) June 16, 2021
Altuve walks it off in grand fashion
Ryan Pressly entered for the top of the tenth, but after two strikeouts, he would give up a tough-luck RBI single to score the free runner to put the Rangers back in front 3-2. Houston loaded the bases to start the bottom of the inning, getting back-to-back walks to put the winning run on second base. Jose Altuve wouldn't just bring in those two; instead, hitting a walk-off grand slam to win it, 6-3.
Bottom of the 10th. Bases loaded. Down by one.
WALK-OFF. GRAND SLAM. JOSE ALTUVE. pic.twitter.com/OucAwt42cV
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 16, 2021
Up Next: The second and final game of this short series will be another 7:10 PM Central start on Wednesday. The Rangers will send Jordan Lyles (2-4, 5.37 ERA) to the mound while the Astros will look to their ace, Zack Greinke (6-2, 3.68 ERA), to get the win.
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This Wednesday, April 24, is my favorite made-up “holiday” of the year - National Bucket List Day - because it reminds me that I have things I’d love to do, places to go, people to meet, and dreams to dream.
This surprised me: Casino.org, a site that surveys the online gaming and entertainment industry, asked 3,000 people, specifically Texans, "What’s on your bucket list?" The No. 1 answer was, “Take a road trip,” followed by “Go to the beach.”
Go to the beach is a bucket-list fantasy? Wait, let me close this laptop.
Okay, I’m back. Check off “go to the beach.” If you live in Houston, the beach on Galveston is one hour away and it’s free.
Did these people understand what bucket list means? It’s things you’d like to do before you die.
Before you kick the bucket.
I’m lucky, because of my profession, I’ve gotten to actually do some of things that might otherwise be on my bucket list:
I’ve met three U.S. Presidents and a Beatle. Guess who tops that list? It’s Paul McCartney. I covered the Berlin Wall coming down for Gannett Radio and George H.W. Bush’s funeral for the Washington Post. I played tennis with John McEnroe and Chris Evert. I was Texas All-Star Wrestling’s cruiserweight champion (you can look it up on Wikipedia) and I once ate one of Joey Chestnut’s leftover hot dogs at the Coney Island contest.
So I’m constantly coming up with new bucket list hopes. Here’s my 2024 Top 10 Bucket List of dreams to dream:
10. Watch the French Open tennis final live in Paris while eating a crunchy baguette sandwich. Just one slice of ham, one slice of Swiss cheese on a buttered baguette. Moins on en fait, mieux c’est. Less is more.
9. Convince Larry David to do another season of Curb Your Enthusiasm so I don’t sink into dark despair Sunday nights.
8. Let the Texas Legislature have the balls to put sports gambling on the ballot, which would win overwhelmingly, so we can have nice things like Oklahoma and Louisiana do.
7. See something done with the Astrodome. Either fix it up or tear it down. I don’t give a flying’ Philadelphia flip either way. But letting it sit there rotting away is unacceptable.
6. Watch the Astros tell Jose Abreu it’s been real, but it’s time for you to pack up your $58.5 million and go home. Bring up Joey Loperfido and see what the rookie can do. As John Lennon said, “it can't get no worse” than Abreu.
5. Have a mad scientist invent a way for dogs to live as long as people. That’s the only problem with dogs, you literally love them to death. It’s the saddest thing ever to say goodbye to your dog.
4. Have West U name a dead-end street after me.
3. Watch English muffins assume their rightful place as the bun of choice in Burger World. English muffins taste a thousand times better and absorb more grease than lame boring burger buns. Ever eat a burger bun by itself? Disgusting. A toasted, buttered English muffin? Delicious.
(By the way, Nancy’s Hustle in Houston serves their burgers on an English muffin and Justin Verlander gives it his thumbs up.)
2. Force candidates to pick up campaign signs the day after an election or get fined $1,000 per sign. It like I’m still seeing Whitmire for Mayor signs. I’m talking Kathy Whitmire.
1. Lastly, just once, I’d like to drive from Houston to San Antonio, or Houston to Dallas, without seeing one orange barrel. When is done ever done? I know, ain’t gonna happen.
This article originally appeared on CultureMap.