Astros 9, Yankees 7: Diaz Homers Twice and Houston Takes the Eighth

Diaz would not let Houston lose the Bronx

August 25, 2026 – New York – Yainer Diaz homered in the second. He homered again in the eighth. He singled in the ninth.

The Houston Astros beat the New York Yankees 9-7 at Yankee Stadium because their catcher would not stop hitting and the eighth inning finally broke New York's bullpen.

Houston had 14 hits. New York had 10. The Yankees led 5-3 after Luis García Jr.'s two-run homer in the fifth. They did not lead after Jeremy Peña tied it in the sixth, and they did not hold the eighth.

Back and forth, then Houston's three-run eighth

Diaz's first homer, his ninth, made it 1-0. Daulton Varsho singled home Jose Altuve in the third. Cody Bellinger answered with a three-run shot, his 12th, and New York led 3-2.

Varsho tied it in the fifth. García, now in pinstripes, hit his 27th homer and put the Yankees back up 5-3. Peña's two-run homer in the sixth, his 15th, made it 5-5. García doubled home another run in the seventh. 6-5 Yankees. It still felt like whoever got the next clean inning would leave with it.

Brent Headrick did not get a clean eighth. Diaz homered to right, his 10th, and it was 6-6. Yordan Alvarez tripled home Peña. Isaac Paredes singled home Alvarez. Three runs. 8-6 Houston.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. singled home a run in the bottom of the eighth. Diaz singled home another in the ninth, taking second on a Bellinger error. Josh Hader finished 1 1/3 scoreless for the save. Bryan Abreu got the win despite a messy eighth of his own.

Ethan Pecko started and allowed five runs in 4 1/3. Will Warren went five for New York and left with a lead that did not survive the next three innings. Neither starter owned this. The catcher did.

Diaz: 3-for-4, two homers, a walk, three RBI, three runs, zero strikeouts. García: 4-for-5, a homer, a double, three RBI. Both lines are All-Star nights. Only one of them went with the win.

AthX Engine put Diaz on top of the slate

AthX Engine scored Diaz at 16 hitting fantasy points, first among hitters Tuesday. Houston finished at 14 team fantasy points. New York still scored 7 and sat at 4 team fantasy points because a high-event loss does not grade the same as a quiet win.

What's next

Peter Lambert starts for Houston on Wednesday. Elmer Rodríguez starts for New York. A 9-7 game in the Bronx is a series story, not a one-off. Diaz just made sure the first chapter belonged to the visitors.

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*Sources: MLB Gameday, MLB schedule, AthX Engine scoring. Information only; not financial advice.*