HOUSTON -- When you’re talking about the heroes of Independence Day, Yordan Alvarez wanted to make sure he gets his due.
Alvarez hit a two-run walk-off home run off Rays reliever Casey Legumina in the bottom of the ninth inning Saturday night to cap a two-homer, six-RBI game and send the Astros to a thrilling 10-8 come-from-behind win over the Rays at Daikin Park.
The Astros rallied from down, 7-2, in the fourth inning to snap the Rays’ nine-game winning streak before Alvarez brought Houston back with a monster game on the day he was named the starter at designated hitter for the American League in the All-Star Game.
Alvarez continued his march toward the AL Most Valuable Player Award with his 28th and 29th homers to go along with 67 RBIs.
Astros ace Hunter Brown gave up a solo homer in the first inning to Rays third baseman Junior Caminero, giving Caminero 11 homers in his past 11 games. That put him one home run behind Alvarez, but not for long. Alvarez crushed a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning -- this 28th of the season -- but Richie Palacios answered with a two-run homer in the second for a 3-2 Rays lead.
The Rays scored seven runs against Brown in his four wobbly innings to build a 7-2 lead before the Astros started chipping away. Yainer Diaz hit a two-run homer in the fourth, and the Astros scored three times in the seventh to make it 8-8, getting a sac fly by Alvarez, an RBI single by Isaac Paredes and a game-tying pinch-hit single by Zach Dezenzo, who was called up earlier Saturday.