Astros Erase Five-Run Hole With Massive Sixth Inning in Chicago
HOU def. CWS · July 24, 2026 · Final: Astros 9, Sox 5
Houston trailed 5-0 heading into the top of the sixth inning at Chicago, a deficit that had pushed the Astros' win probability down to 3.6%. Chicago's White Sox had built that lead across the first and fifth innings, and the game looked close to settled.
It wasn't.
Houston first baseman Christian Walker started the turnaround. Astros left fielder LaMonte Wade Jr. got things going in the top of the sixth with a run-scoring single to right, plating Yordan Alvarez and cutting it to 5-1. Then Walker stepped in and laced a double to left that scored Isaac Paredes, Jose Altuve, and Wade Jr. in one swing, pulling Houston within 5-4.
Astros right fielder Cam Smith followed immediately with a two-run home run — his 13th of the season — to left field, scoring Walker and putting Houston ahead 6-5. That was the lead change, the first of the game, and it held.
The Astros kept going. Houston second baseman Jose Altuve singled on a ground ball that deflected off third baseman Miguel Vargas, scoring Jeremy Peña to make it 7-5. Wade Jr. then drew a walk that forced home Alvarez, pushing the lead to 8-5.
In four batters — Walker, Smith, Altuve, and Wade Jr. — Houston had gone from a five-run deficit to a three-run lead.
The Astros added an insurance run in the top of the ninth when catcher Christian Vázquez hit a ground-rule double to left-center, scoring Taylor Trammell and setting the final margin.
Houston 9, Chicago 5.
The Comeback
- Largest deficit
- 5 runs — in the bottom of the 5th
- Win-probability nadir
- 3.6% (down 5 in the bottom of the 5th)
- Lead flipped for good
- top of the 6th
- Lead changes
- 1
- Final
- HOU 9, CWS 5 — won by 4
Scoring Summary
| Inn. | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| B1 | Colson Montgomery out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Lucas Spence. Sam Antonacci scores. | 0-1 |
| B1 | Braden Montgomery singles on a ground ball to right fielder Cam Smith. Munetaka Murakami scores. Miguel Vargas to 3rd. | 0-2 |
| B1 | Chase Meidroth hit by pitch. Miguel Vargas scores. Braden Montgomery to 3rd. Tristan Peters to 2nd. | 0-3 |
| B5 | Tristan Peters pops out to third baseman Isaac Paredes in foul territory. | 0-4 |
| B5 | Chase Meidroth doubles (18) on a fly ball to center fielder Lucas Spence. Braden Montgomery scores. | 0-5 |
| T6 | LaMonte Wade Jr. singles on a ground ball to right fielder Braden Montgomery. Yordan Alvarez scores. Isaac Paredes to 3rd. Jose Altuve to 2nd. | 1-5 |
| T6 | Christian Walker doubles (20) on a ground ball to left fielder Sam Antonacci. Isaac Paredes scores. Jose Altuve scores. LaMonte Wade Jr. scores. | 4-5 |
| T6 | Cam Smith homers (13) on a fly ball to left field. Christian Walker scores. | 6-5 |
| T6 | Jose Altuve singles on a ground ball to shortstop Colson Montgomery, deflected by third baseman Miguel Vargas. Jeremy Peña scores. Yordan Alvarez to 3rd. Isaac Paredes to 2nd. | 7-5 |
| T6 | LaMonte Wade Jr. walks. Yordan Alvarez scores. Isaac Paredes to 3rd. Jose Altuve to 2nd. | 8-5 |
| T9 | Christian Vázquez hits a ground-rule double (7) on a line drive to left-center field. Taylor Trammell scores. Cam Smith to 3rd. | 9-5 |
Box score
▸
Line score
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOU | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 13 | 0 |
| CWS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8 | 1 |
HOUWinning team
Batting
| Batter | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremy PeñaSS | 6 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .307 |
| Yordan AlvarezDH | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .327 |
| Isaac Paredes3B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .261 |
| Taylor TrammellLF | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .231 |
| Christian Walker1B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .233 |
| Lucas SpenceCF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | .208 |
| Cam SmithRF | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .210 |
| Christian VázquezC | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .215 |
| Jose Altuve2B | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .238 |
| LaMonte Wade Jr.LF | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .180 |
Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer Arrighetti | 1.0 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 33 |
| AJ Blubaugh | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 34 |
| Kai-Wei Teng | 2.0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 42 |
| Bennett Sousa | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| Bryan Abreu | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 |
| Steven Okert | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
| Josh Hader | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 |
CWSLosing team
Batting
| Batter | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam AntonacciLF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .281 |
| Munetaka Murakami1B | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .231 |
| Miguel Vargas3B | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .243 |
| Colson MontgomerySS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .218 |
| Randal GrichukDH | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .245 |
| Braden MontgomeryRF | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .250 |
| Luisangel AcuñaPH | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .247 |
| Chase Meidroth2B | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .278 |
| Drew RomoC | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .127 |
| Andrew BenintendiDH | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .244 |
| Tristan PetersCF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .286 |
Pitching
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Davis Martin | 5.0 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 88 |
| Bryan Hudson | 0.2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 23 |
| Seranthony Domínguez | 0.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 19 |
| Trevor Richards | 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
| Chris Murphy | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 26 |