Astros Stun Rangers with Late-Inning Heroics: A 4-3 Comeback

In a nail-biting finish, the Houston Astros pulled off a stunning 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Sunday, thanks to a clutch three-run homer from Isaac Paredes in the eighth inning. This came after Texas rookie Jack Leiter had a no-hit bid going until the seventh inning, which made the game even more intense.

Leiter, who was looking sharp, finally gave up a solo homer to Yainer Diaz with two outs in the seventh, cutting the Rangers' lead to 3-1. After that, things started to unravel for him. He was pulled from the game after giving up back-to-back singles to Jake Meyers and Cam Smith to kick off the eighth.

Texas brought in reliever Chris Martin, but he only managed to throw one pitch before exiting due to right shoulder discomfort. That’s when Robert Garcia stepped in. He got two outs, but then Paredes came up and launched his seventh homer of the season, just barely clearing the wall and the glove of Wyatt Langford, who leaped in a desperate attempt to snag it.

In the ninth, Josh Hader came in and struck out two batters, sealing the deal for his 11th save of the season. This win allowed the Astros and Rangers to split their four-game series, keeping the rivalry alive and kicking.

On the mound for Houston, Framber Valdez started strong, tossing three perfect innings. This was his first matchup against the Rangers since he lost a no-hitter with just two outs in the ninth last August, so you could say there was a bit of history on the line.

The Rangers, however, had their moment in the fourth inning, where they strung together consecutive singles from Sam Haggerty, Langford, and Josh Jung, with Jung driving home Haggerty in a three-run inning that had the crowd buzzing.

In a tense moment during the eighth, Jonah Heim hit a deep drive to right-center with two outs and two on, but Meyers made a spectacular catch on the warning track, keeping the Astros in the game.

Leiter, the son of former major league pitcher Al Leiter, pitched into the eighth for the first time in 13 big league starts over two seasons, showing some real promise. Looking ahead, Houston rookie LHP Colton Gordon (0-0, 6.23 ERA) is set to take the mound for the opener against Tampa Bay on Monday, while Texas lefty Patrick Corbin (3-2, 3.35) will face the New York Yankees on Tuesday.