HOUSTON — The Houston Astros secured a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday night, with Jeremy Peña smashing a home run and Yordan Alvarez bringing home the winning run with a crucial double in the sixth inning. This match was part of an early-season lineup showcasing teams that reached the playoffs in 2024. The Astros managed to claim two wins out of the three games, capping off a promising start to their campaign.
Spencer Arrighetti (1-0) performed impressively on the mound for Houston, conceding just one hit—a double by Juan Soto in the first inning—and a single run over his six innings of work. Arrighetti also struck out five batters. The Astros’ closer, Josh Hader, launched the ninth inning by walking Soto but subsequently retired the following three batters to secure his second save, ensuring the Mets were limited to just one hit.
The pivotal moment unfolded with two outs in the sixth frame when Alvarez connected with a double, sending the ball crashing into the central field wall and allowing Isaac Paredes to dash home from first base. This gave the Astros a 2-1 lead that they maintained to the end of the game.
Griffin Canning (0-1), who made his debut with the Mets, pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and two runs. Canning initially kept the Astros at bay, allowing just a leadoff single to Jose Altuve before Peña belted Houston’s first home run of the season in the fifth inning, providing a 1-0 advantage.
During the first inning, Soto hit a double with one out, followed by Brandon Nimmo drawing a walk. From there, Arrighetti retired 13 consecutive batters before issuing a walk to Jose Siri at the start of the sixth. The former Astro Siri then stole second, advancing to third on a flyout by Francisco Lindor. Soto grounded out next, giving Siri the opportunity to sprint home and slide in past the tag, equalizing the score at 1.
The Mets struggled in crucial moments, failing to achieve hits with runners poised to score as they went 0 for 8 in such positions. This statistic underscored the key importance of Alvarez’s double that solidified Houston’s lead—a lead the Mets were unable to overcome.
Both teams have a rest day scheduled for Sunday. The Houston Astros will welcome the San Francisco Giants for a three-game series starting Monday night, while the New York Mets are set to visit Miami for a game that same evening.