The Astros‘ hot start to the 2026 season continued Thursday with a sweep of the Boston Red Sox in Houston.
Their 6-4 win was especially sweet considering what transpired earlier in the game.
With the score tied at 2, Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet hit Yordan Alvarez in the ribs with a pitch. The hot-hitting Houston slugger was visibly upset, flinging his bat toward the dugout and staring down Crochet before taking first base.
“Obviously, I can’t be happy in that situation,” Alvarez said through an interpreter after the game, according to the Houston Chronicle. “A hit-by-pitch is something that can hurt my career and finish my career. Only [Crochet] knows if it was intentional or not. But obviously, in that situation, I can’t be happy with it.”
Carlos Correa wasn’t happy, either, and managed to take it out on Crochet and the Red Sox two batters later.
Correa stepped up and smashed a three-run, 402-foot homer off the left-hander that put the Astros ahead for good 5-2.
“You always hate to see your best hitter get drilled like that,” Correa said, according to the Chronicle. “Alvarez was obviously pretty upset after that couple pitches almost hit him. You take it a little extra special when it’s like that.”
The win was the fifth straight for the Astros and gave the Red Sox five consecutive losses since an Opening Day victory against the Cincinnati Reds.
“Carlos made him pay,” Houston manager Joe Espada told reporters. “That’s what happened. Carlos made him pay.”
