Astros catcher Collin Price awaits the throw before tagging out Angels runner Mike Trout at the plate during the 10th inning of Houston’s win Monday.
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Houston Astros’ Christian Walker gestures after hitting an RBI double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Los Angeles Angels’ Trey Mancini gestures after hitting an RBI single during the second inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Houston Astros’ Cam Smith gestures after hitting a double during the second inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Houston Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Houston Astros pitcher Spencer Arrighetti delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Los Angeles Angels first baseman Trey Mancini, left, gestures before a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 08: Collin Price #37 and Bryan Abreu #52 of the Houston Astros celebrate after the 5-4 win against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 08, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 08: Christian Walker #8 of the Houston Astros hits an RBI single to tie the game 4-4 during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 08, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 08: Jeremy Peña #3 of the Houston Astros celebrates a run scored in with teammates in the dugout during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 08, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 08: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros slides into home plate against Logan O’Hoppe #14 of the Los Angeles Angels to score a run and take the lead 5-4 during the tenth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 08, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 08: Christian Walker #8 of the Houston Astros runs after hitting an RBI single to tie the game 4-4 during the ninth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 08, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 08: Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates with teammates in the dugout after a score run in to take the lead 5-4 against the Los Angeles Angels during the tenth inning at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on June 08, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
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Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith gestures after defeating the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout, right, slides into home base, but is called out during the 10th inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Houston Astros right fielder Cam Smith (11) and center fielder Brice Matthews (0) run to greet teammates after defeating the Los Angeles Angels in a baseball game Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Houston Astros catcher Collin Price reacts after tagging Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout out during the 10th inning of a baseball game Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Houston Astros catcher Collin Price reacts after tagging Los Angeles Angels’ Mike Trout out during the 10th inning of a baseball game Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Houston Astros’ Jeremy Peña, left, gestures after scoring during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels, Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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Houston Astros’ Jeremy Peña, right, slides safely past Los Angeles Angels second baseman Nick Madrigal during the ninth inning of a baseball game Monday, June 8, 2026, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)
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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Two of a generation’s defining players motored toward home plate at Angel Stadium a few minutes apart Monday night. Two plays there decided a game.
Jose Altuve began the top of the 10th inning on second base. Three days earlier, the Houston Astros had activated the 36-year-old from the injured list. He had spent 19 days there recovering from a left oblique strain, an injury he said initially was expected to sideline him twice that long.
Brice Matthews stood in against Angels left-hander Sam Aldegheri. Matthews had started the evening on the bench. LaMonte Wade Jr. pulling up lame in the sixth inning pressed the 24-year-old into the game. It would soon prove serendipitous.
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Here, Matthews squared. His bunt bounced up the third-base line, veering foul. With no chance to make a play, Denzer Guzman fielded the ball anyway. Matthews had a single. Altuve scampered to third.
“I was kind of surprised,” Matthews said. “The catcher was yelling, ‘Let it go.’ And he picked it up and I got a hit, so I’ll take it. And it got the runner over, that’s all that matters.”
Altuve soon made it matter. Three chances loomed for Houston to score him. Cam Smith struck out. Jake Meyers skied a pop-up into shallow center field. Angels second baseman Nick Madrigal drifted back and caught it 182 feet from home plate, per Statcast.
“I think I had the adrenaline going in that moment,” Altuve said. “So I was ready for every fly ball to the outfield. Obviously, it was a little shorter. But I kind of was, like, committed to go.”
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Altuve bolted from third base. Madrigal, on his heels, saw, set his feet and made a throw home. It beat Altuve, but on a short hop, and skipped past catcher Logan O’Hoppe.
From the dugout, Astros manager Joe Espada said he realized on “that last step before (Madrigal) caught that ball, he’s on his heels — Altuve’s going to try. And it’s a really good aggressive play. You have to force the issue.”
When did Altuve actually decide to go?
“I don’t know — it’s really hard to tell when,” he said. “In that moment, you’re just full of adrenaline, you want to win the game. So I didn’t really think. I just ran without thinking.”
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BATTERS
AVG
OBA
AB
R
H
2B
3B
HR
RBI
BB
SO
SB
CS
E
Team Totals
.245
.320
2288
312
561
113
5
86
299
229
561
24
12
25
Wade
.333
.385
12
2
4
2
0
1
4
1
3
0
0
0
Alvarez
.311
.427
241
46
75
13
0
22
48
45
52
1
0
1
Peña
.288
.356
118
23
34
7
0
3
12
10
19
5
1
4
Trammell
.288
.347
66
8
19
4
1
0
6
5
24
1
0
1
Correa
.279
.369
122
22
34
8
0
3
16
18
26
1
0
1
Loperfido
.276
.348
58
7
16
5
0
0
7
6
19
1
1
1
Walker
.252
.324
250
39
63
12
1
16
48
23
59
0
0
0
Allen
.250
.290
64
12
16
2
0
1
5
3
14
1
0
0
Vázquez
.244
.303
131
14
32
6
0
4
19
11
24
0
0
0
Shewmake
.243
.260
74
8
18
3
0
3
8
2
13
0
0
1
Paredes
.241
.331
224
27
54
12
0
9
33
24
42
0
0
4
Altuve
.240
.320
175
30
42
10
0
5
13
20
41
1
2
2
Diaz
.238
.255
101
7
24
5
0
2
14
3
16
0
1
0
Harris
.226
.286
31
4
7
0
1
0
4
2
6
2
0
0
Smith
.223
.311
220
26
49
10
1
6
25
25
69
8
1
4
Meyers
.215
.282
93
10
20
4
0
2
8
8
21
1
2
0
Matthews
.203
.255
153
16
31
4
1
4
14
11
54
2
4
1
Dezenzo
.191
.255
47
5
9
4
0
1
2
4
19
0
0
0
Cole
.157
.189
51
4
8
1
0
3
8
1
21
0
0
1
Johnson
.143
.294
14
1
2
0
0
0
0
2
3
0
0
0
Price
.125
.222
8
0
1
1
0
0
0
1
4
0
0
0
Whitcomb
.118
.167
17
1
2
0
0
1
4
1
9
0
0
0
Salazar
.056
.227
18
0
1
0
0
0
1
3
3
0
0
0
___
PITCHERS
W
L
ERA
G
GS
SV
IP
H
R
ER
HR
BB
SO
Team Totals
31
37
4.89
68
68
17
600.1
540
340
326
87
321
574
Hader
1
0
0.00
3
0
1
3
0
0
0
0
1
7
VanWey
0
0
0.00
3
0
0
3
1
0
0
0
0
5
Brown
1
0
0.84
2
2
0
10.2
5
1
1
0
6
17
Santa
0
1
1.12
5
0
0
8
1
2
1
0
4
8
Arrighetti
7
1
2.21
10
10
0
57
37
16
14
3
31
53
King
0
1
2.54
25
0
6
28.1
26
10
8
1
11
21
Okert
0
0
3.00
31
1
0
30
18
10
10
3
10
26
Teng
3
4
3.06
19
6
0
47
34
17
16
6
21
44
De Los Santos
0
1
3.21
26
0
4
28
22
11
10
2
5
28
Lambert
5
4
3.55
9
9
0
50.2
39
20
20
3
25
47
Pearson
0
0
4.05
6
0
1
6.2
5
3
3
1
4
7
Blubaugh
3
2
4.43
26
0
0
40.2
30
20
20
5
22
35
Roa
0
1
5.19
7
0
0
8.2
10
5
5
1
7
6
Imai
3
3
5.24
8
8
0
34.1
25
20
20
5
23
36
Bolton
0
1
5.40
8
3
1
20
21
12
12
3
14
22
Burrows
3
8
5.77
13
13
0
73.1
87
49
47
17
28
60
Abreu
2
2
6.85
25
0
4
22.1
18
18
17
5
24
31
McCullers
2
3
6.86
8
8
0
39.1
38
32
30
7
22
43
Murray
0
0
7.15
7
0
0
11.1
16
9
9
0
7
5
Weiss
0
3
7.62
9
2
0
26
35
24
22
8
20
30
France
0
0
8.10
3
0
0
6.2
6
6
6
1
5
4
Sousa
0
0
8.10
5
0
0
3.1
3
3
3
0
5
4
Salazar
0
0
9.00
1
0
0
1
1
1
1
1
0
0
Alexander
1
1
9.33
4
2
0
18.1
21
19
19
4
8
14
Gordon
0
0
11.57
4
1
0
9.1
21
12
12
6
3
11
Javier
0
1
12.54
3
3
0
9.1
13
13
13
2
9
4
Muñoz
0
0
15.75
3
0
0
4
7
7
7
3
6
6
Baseball Savant tracks average sprint speed on competitive plays. Since the start of last season, Jeremy Peña and Cam Smith have Houston’s highest, at 29.5 and 29.4 feet per second, respectively. Elite is 30 feet per second. Altuve ranks 14th among its 22 players tracked in that span, at 27.2.
Baseball Savant also tracks “bolts,” or any run at or above 30 feet per second. Peña and Smith lead the Astros in that category since the start of last season, as well. Altuve is third.
“I was just talking to him, I was like, ‘Man, you’re either a ballsy player or something’s missing up there,’” Peña said Monday night. “But I’ll go with he plays the game aggressive. Shoutout to Altuve. He has no fear when he plays out there. And that’s what we need. We need guys that are willing to take chances and put their bodies on the line to win games.”
Altuve’s aggression gave the Astros a 5-4 lead, their first of the night. Another play at the plate preserved it.
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Mike Trout began the bottom of the 10th inning on second base. Houston had already used Josh Hader in the ninth to produce extra innings. Espada will not use Hader for more than three outs initially upon his return from the IL last week. Bryan Abreu entered for the 10th.
Jose Siri, the former Astros outfielder, stood in against him. Siri tried to bunt twice and failed both times. In a 1-2 count, Abreu threw a slider. Siri lined it into left field.
Trout made his turn at third base. He may be 34 but still retains excellent speed. His average sprint speed entering Monday ranked in the 88th percentile in the majors. He hit the bag just as Matthews scooped up the baseball and shuffled his feet.
Matthews was playing his 96th major-league inning in left field, a position where he has never appeared in the minors. He has started 10 professional games there. He began Monday with zero outfield assists. Angels third-base coach Keith Johnson pointed Trout home.
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“At first, I didn’t know if (the throw) was going to make it there in time,” Astros catcher Collin Price said. “So I was trying to decide if I was going to come up and cut it off and maybe get Siri at second base. That way nobody’s in scoring position and we can at least go to the 11th.
“But then as it got closer I realized we had a chance and it could possibly beat him. So it was just staying over that plate, try to block it once I had the ball and put a good tag on him.”
Price, called up last Friday, was making his second major-league start. Matthews’ throw reached him on one hop. Price gloved it and tagged Trout in one motion. Umpire Tom Hanahan signaled an out.
The Angels challenged. Price, who had collected his first major-league hit earlier in the evening, awaited the result unsure of what umpires were reviewing.
“I knew once I saw it that he was out, but I didn’t know if they were going to say I blocked the plate,” Price said. “I was just hoping they wouldn’t call that, because I know that I did have the ball.”
They did not. The out call remained. Abreu struck out Jo Adell and retired Guzman on a fly out to save a win that inched the Astros to 31-37.
“Just trying to make a play — gotta let it eat sometimes, man,” Matthews said. “I had my guy back there at the plate and he made a good play, so we got the out.
“We competed as a team today, fought back and just a lot of fun. Try to do it again tomorrow. Just got to keep fighting.”