Astros tie MLB record with second-inning home run derby

With five home runs launched in the second inning of Tuesday’s contest, the Houston Astros tied a Major League Baseball feat.

Following a scoreless first inning for the Houston Astros against the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday, Yordan Alvarez found the bleachers in the second, hammering his 12th home run of the season.

Opposing hurler Nathan Eovaldi entered Tuesday with the most conceded long balls in the American League with nine; he left the contest leading Major League Baseball with 14.

Alvarez’s home run tied him with New York Yankees’ outfielder Aaron Judge for the lead in MLB, but minutes after, Judge smashed his 13th home run of the year in a contest with the Baltimore Orioles.

Kyle Tucker and Jeremy Peña — in his first at-bat at Fenway Park — followed after with back-to-back shots, bringing in three more runs for Houston. With three home runs in the inning, many fans began to relax until Michael Brantley slammed his third long ball of the season, bringing in Jose Altuve and Martin Maldonado.

Altuve reached base in second inning via double — his 1,800th hit with the Astros. The second baseman became only the fourth player in franchise history to do so.

Just when enough damage was done, Yuli Gurriel, continuing his hot stretch, found the Green Monster for his third home run of the year, too. The righty brought in Alvarez from first, knocking Eovaldi out after only five outs.

The Astros became the eighth team to hit five home runs in one inning with the most recent occurrence coming Sept.17, 2020, when the Yankees hit five against Chase Anderson of the Toronto Blue Jays, beating the divisional foe 10-7 at home.

The last time the Astros even hit four home runs in an inning came Sept. 8, 2004, against the Cincinnati Reds with Craig Biggio, Jeff Bagwell, Lance Berkman and Mike Lamb finding the bleachers in a 5-2 win which Roger Clemens started. All four of the home runs came in the first inning.

The franchise record for most home runs in a game is seven, which the Astros struck in 2000 and 2019. Houston hit six Tuesday, while in the fourth inning Tucker hit his second grand slam of his career and the team’s second of the year.