Astros vs. Rangers score, highlights: Jose Altuve sends ALCS back to Houston with series lead after huge win

Altuve's three-run homer in the ninth was the final blow for the Astros

Jose Altuve provided the postseason fireworks the Astros had been waiting for. Down 4-2 in the ninth inning against the Rangers' ace closer José LeClerc, Altuve blasted a three-run home run just over the wall to give Houston a 5-4 lead. The go-ahead (and eventual game-winning) shot came just an inning after a benches-clearing brawl between the in-state rivals that promised to heat up an already sizzling ALCS.

Before the stunning blow, the Astros found themselves behind thanks to an Adolis García clutch home run off Justin Verlander, a welcome albeit brief hope that the Rangers were snapping out of their offensive funk. Alas, the funk was not snapped enough and the Astros now lead the best-of-seven series 3-2.

Jordan Montgomery gave the Rangers 5 1/3 solid innings and Nathaniel Lowe helped out with a solo home run, but the typically formidable Astros offense was too much. Beyond Altuve, Alex Bregman went deep for a second straight game.

The ALCS now heads back to Houston with the Astros up 3-2 with a chance to clinch yet another pennant as soon as Sunday.

Now for some takeaways from a classic Game 5. 

Jose Altuve dropped a bomb on the Rangers' hopes

With two on and no out and the Astros down 4-2 in the ninth, Houston's franchise player conjured up one of the biggest hits of his career: 

That's Altuve's 26th career postseason home run, and it turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead. It also pushed Game 5 of the ALCS into "instant classic" territory. Also: 

Rangers closer José LeClerc had been going for a four-out save, and he had to sit quite a long time in the bottom of the eight in part because of a near-brawl detailed below. It's probably no accident that he walked the first two batters he faced in front of Altuve. The second-pitch changeup wasn't a terrible offering, but Altuve is quite adept at handling low-and-inside pitches, as was on display right there in stunning and series-changing fashion.

Adolis García almost flipped the script

The Texas offense had been in a funk, particularly with runners in scoring position, but Garcia in the sixth addressed those concerns with one authoritative swing. 

Other than allowing an opposite-field home run to Nathaniel Lowe on a high-and-outside fastball, future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander had been cruising. That changed in the sixth, as the Rangers used a one-out double and a single to put runners on the corners for Garcia. The slugging outfielder was seeing Verlander for the third time in Game 5, and as we know that often spells trouble for a starting pitcher, even one as great as Verlander. Speaking of which: 

That's 108 mph and 396 feet off the bat, and it's also a 2-1 deficit turned into a 4-2 lead, albeit one that would not last. It also merits an appreciation of Garcia's appreciation: 

As for Verlander, Garcia's clout occasioned some unfortunate history for him: 

On the other hand, to give up that many postseason home runs you have to pitch a lot of postseason games, which is sort of the point of the whole endeavor. As well, something tells us Verlander is fine with all of that given the ultimate outcome of Game 5. 

Semien's struggles at the plate turned into bad luck at the plate

Marcus Semien, Texas' All-Star second baseman, is one heck of a hitter as middle infielders go, but his bat has gone quiet during the ALCS. He came into Game 5 with a slash line of .188/.235/.188 for this series, and on Friday he went 0 for 5. That fifth and final at-bat, though, was almost a signature moment for Semien. With the Rangers trailing by a run in the bottom of the ninth and two on with no outs, Semien came up, and he lined a slider from Ryan Pressly. The thump off the bat plus the angle at which it left Semien's bat gave it an expected batting average of .770. Unfortunately for Semien, Grae Kessinger, who just entered the game at short, was in the right/wrong place: 

If that batted ball finds grass, then it's probably a tie game with Texas in good position to push across the winning run. Instead, the rookie snared it.

There was almost a brawl

You saw Garcia's home run celebration above, and his next time up he was drilled by a 99 mph fastball from reliever Bryan Abreu. As you're about to see, Garcia plainly thought it was a purpose pitch, and we almost ended up with a brawl between the two in-state rivals: 

As though Game 5 didn't already give us enough to talk about. No punches were thrown, but there was some jostling and elevated temperatures for sure. Garcia and Abreu were both ejected, and Houston manager Dusty Baker vociferously objected to losing Abreu, presumably based on the fact that it was still a close game with exceptionally high stakes. Baker was also run: 

All of this on some level may have traced back to another near-brawl between these two teams back in July. If nothing else, these tensions make an already compelling Game 6 even more of a must-watch.

Necessary follow-up: 

Now the scene shifts back to Houston

Game 6 is up next after a Saturday off day, and it'll be an elimination game for Texas/potential pennant-clincher for the Astros. It'll also occasion a pitching rematch of Game 2, as Nathan Eovaldi will oppose Framber Valdez. First pitch is scheduled for 8:03 p.m. ET. Will the Astros earn a trip back to the World Series and advance their efforts to become the first repeat champs since the 1999-2000 Yankees? Or will the Rangers force a Game 7 and stay alive in their bid to win the World Series for the first time in franchise history? We'll know soon enough. 

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:22 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Astros win 5-4

Pressly strikes out Carter swinging. Houston has a 3-2 series lead.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:21 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Carter works to a 2-2 count

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:20 pm ET · Dayn Perry]

.770 expected batting average on that Semien liner.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:19 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Seager hit a ball to center, but ...

Smith didn't attempt to tag up. Two out, two on. It'll be Pressly vs. Carter.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:18 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

This is what you want as the Rangers. It's Corey Seager. 

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:18 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Great baserunning by both runners to freeze on the liner and not get caught. 

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:18 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Kessinger with a great grab

He just checked in. The ball found him. But it also found his glove. One out.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:17 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Heim singles

Hooo boy. Top of the order coming for the Rangers. Will they walk it off? We haven't truly had a postseason classic yet. This would qualify. 

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:16 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Heim rips a single underneath Altuve

Two on, no one out. Semien is up.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:15 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Leadoff single for Rangers

Mitch Garver with the hit and there's a pinch runner, Josh Smith.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:15 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Garver singles to put on the tying run

Josh Smith checks in with a pinch-running assignment.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:13 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Altuve owns a wild piece of history

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:12 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

To the bottom of the ninth we go

Bottom of the order -- Garver, Heim, Semien -- due up against closer Ryan Pressly.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:07 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Altuve puts the Astros ahead in the ninth

The Astros now lead 5-4 after a three-run shot by Jose Altuve. Yainer Diaz led off the inning with a pinch-hit single. Jon Singleton pinch-hit and walked. That set the table for Altuve to do what he did, cranking a home run to left off Rangers closer Jose Leclerc.

Here's a look:

Statcast has Altuve's home run leaving the bat at 98.8 mph and traveling 382 feet.

The Rangers will have three outs to score an equalizer or win it themselves. Otherwise, the Astros will take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series as things shift back to Houston. 

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:06 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Singleton walks

Astros now have the tying run on first with the top of the order due.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:04 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Back-to-back pinch-hitters

Diaz singles. Here's Singleton. 

[Oct 20, 2023 at 8:01 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

To the ninth

Leclerc will attempt to give the Rangers a 3-2 series lead.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:54 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Abreu, Baker, and García all ejected.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:48 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

García confronted Maldonado right away

Abreu hit García with essentially a 99 mph pitch. García, you'll recall, celebrated his home run off Justin Verlander a few innings ago. Whether or not it was intentional, only Maldonado and Abreu can say for sure, but the umpires ejected Abreu (and then manager Dusty Baker after he expressed his frustration at that decision). 

García also appeared to be ejected. At minimum, he left the field.

Here's a look at the scene:

If it was intentional on Abreu's part, this is an awfully poor time for it. The Rangers now have two on with nobody out in the bottom of the eighth of a 4-2 game.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:44 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

Adolis García got hit by a 98.9 mph pitch

This isn't really the time to go settling scores, but it sure looks like that's what the Astros did.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:43 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

We have extracurricular activity 

Benches and bullpens have cleared.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:37 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Leclerc gets a pop-up

We're heading to the bottom of the eighth. It's 4-2 Rangers.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:35 pm ET · Matt Snyder]

This seems like a big moment. #Analysis

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:31 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

That'll do it for Chapman

In comes José Leclerc.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:31 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Tucker with a two-out double to left

Astros now have the tying run due up.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:27 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Chapman fans Alvarez

Power-on-power matchup. Chapman buzzed a heater by his bat.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:22 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Heading to the eighth

Chapman was warming. Have to imagine he's coming in to face Alvarez, Abreu, and Tucker.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:17 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Here's the pitch

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:14 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Sborz punches out Bregman looking

Seemed like he may have received a generous call there for strike three. Nevertheless, that ends the top of the seventh. Still 4-2 Rangers.

[Oct 20, 2023 at 7:10 pm ET · R.J. Anderson]

Nice grab from Mr. Carter

Altuve gave it a ride to left. Astros still have a runner on first, just with one out in the seventh.