The Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 9-7 at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, August 25, 2026, erasing a deficit with a three-run eighth inning that turned the game around.
Key facts
- Final score: Astros 9, Yankees 7, at Yankee Stadium
- Turning point: A three-run eighth inning, highlighted by Yordan Alvarez’s go-ahead RBI triple
- Top hitter: Yainer Diaz went 3-for-4 with two solo home runs
- Closer: Josh Hader picked up his 19th save of the season with no blown saves
- Front office: Astros GM Dana Brown and the team parted ways the day before, on August 24
Yankees strike early
New York took an early lead when Cody Bellinger connected for a three-run home run in the third inning, making it 3-2. It was his 12th home run of the season and snapped a 32-game homerless drought — his first since June 17 — coming shortly after he returned from the injured list. Bellinger had missed 25 games with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain before being activated on August 23. Luis Garcia Jr. also had a big night for New York, hitting a two-run home run and adding an RBI double.
Astros erase the deficit in the eighth
Houston answered when Jeremy Peña hit his 15th home run of the season to tie the game in the sixth inning. Peña went 2-for-5 on the night and scored twice. The game stayed close until the eighth, when the Astros broke it open. Yainer Diaz, who finished 3-for-4, hit two solo home runs — the second coming off Yankees reliever Brent Headrick to start the eighth and tie the score at 6-6. Yordan Alvarez, who went 3-for-5, followed with a go-ahead RBI triple off Headrick, his first three-bagger since 2024, that put Houston ahead 7-6 and pushed his MLB-leading batting average to .323. Isaac Paredes then added an RBI single off Headrick to make it 8-6, capping a three-run eighth inning for Houston. Diaz capped the scoring with a run-scoring single in the ninth. Headrick, who had been one of New York’s most reliable relievers for most of the season, was charged with the loss after allowing the tying homer and three straight hits in the inning.
Bullpen finishes it off
Bryan Abreu earned the win in relief, and closer Josh Hader locked down the finish with a four-out save — his 19th of the season without a blown save. Houston’s rookie starter — whose surname was reported as both Packo and Pecko — worked 4 1/3 innings in just his second big-league start, allowing five runs on five hits and four walks on his 24th birthday.
GM parts ways as AL West race tightens
The win came the day after the Astros and general manager Dana Brown parted ways on August 24, a move the team described as mutual following a difficult nine-game homestand. Some reports have said the split followed owner Jim Crane blocking a proposed trade that would have sent reliever Bryan Abreu — the winning pitcher in Tuesday’s game — to the Minnesota Twins for Trevor Larnach; Crane has taken over baseball operations himself, assisted by assistant general managers Charles Cook, Gavin Dickey and Connor Huff, along with senior advisor Jeff Bagwell. It kept Houston in a crowded American League West race: the Astros and Texas Rangers were both reported at 66-66 after Tuesday’s games, with sources differing on which team held the nominal lead; Seattle trailed by roughly 2.5 games, and no team in the division was above .500. The Yankees fell to 74-57, holding an American League Wild Card spot while trailing the Tampa Bay Rays for the AL East lead.
Game 2 was scheduled for August 26, 2026, at 7:05 p.m. ET at Yankee Stadium, with Astros right-hander Peter Lambert set to start. Broadcast coverage was reported as Space City Home Network and MLB.TV.