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The Associated Press
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Jose Altuve hit a three-run homer in the ninth inning and the Houston Astros, after getting into another bench-clearing scuffle with the Texas Rangers, rallied for a 5-4 victory Friday in a wild and testy Game 5 of the AL Championship Series.
After winning all three matchups at rival Texas, the defending World Series champions head back home to Houston needing one win to capture a third consecutive pennant. They lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven playoff going into Game 6 on Sunday night.
"We've done it so many times. We never give up until the last out," Altuve said.
Adolis Garcia punctuated his towering three-run homer in the sixth with a slow trot and an empathic spike of his bat after watching the ball clear the wall to give Texas a 4-2 lead.
When the slugger came to bat again with a runner on first in the eighth, Bryan Abreu hit Garcia on the left arm with a pitch. An angry Garcia immediately turned to get in the face of catcher Martin Maldonado -- the two also jawed nose-to-nose when Garcia touched home plate after his grand slam in Houston on July 26.
Both benches and bullpens cleared, although it didn't appear any punches were thrown as the teams grabbed hold of each other near home plate. Once things settled down, Garcia, Abreu and Astros manager Dusty Baker had been ejected during a delay that lasted almost 12 minutes.
After the game, umpire crew chief James Hoye told a pool reporter Abreu was ejected for throwing with intent, and Garcia was tossed for being the aggressor in the situation.
"The guy hits a three-run homer; the next time up he gets smoked there," Texas manager Bruce Bochy said. "I'd be upset, too, if I was Doli. But like I said, it just took too long to get things back in order, that's what was frustrating me."
Rangers closer Jose Leclerc gave up a leadoff single to pinch-hitter Yainer Diaz to begin the Houston ninth and walked pinch-hitter Jon Singleton at the bottom of the lineup. Altuve then pulled an 0-1 changeup over the left-field fence, just beyond the glove of a Evan Carter.
It was the 26th career postseason homer for Altuve, second in major league history behind Manny Ramirez (29). The 5-foot-6 star second baseman was playing in his 101st postseason game -- all with the Astros.
"Number one, he wants to be up there. Number two, he's got a high concentration level -- because that's what it takes in big moments like that, is concentration, desire, and relaxation all encompassed into one," Baker said. "This dude is one of the baddest dudes I've ever seen, and I've seen some greats."
Garcia connected off three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander, who took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth before Corey Seager doubled, Carter singled and Garcia homered in a span of three pitches.
Nathaniel Lowe also went deep for the wild-card Rangers, tying it 1-all in the fifth.
Ryan Pressly pitched two scoreless innings for the win after replacing Abreu following his ejection. Pressly gave up consecutive singles to start the bottom of the ninth before retiring the top three batters in Texas' lineup. Marcus Semien lined out to shortstop, Seager flied out to deep center and Carter struck out to end it.
Alex Bregman homered early for Houston, which is in its seventh straight ALCS and is trying to get to its fifth World Series in that span.
The AL West champion Astros are 40-45 this year at Minute Maid Park, including 1-3 in the postseason. But they are 5-0 on the road and have won 19 of their past 22 games away from home overall.
Houston went 9-1 at Globe Life Field this season, winning its last eight in a row while outscoring Texas 79-36 during that span.
García, the Cuban slugger known as El Bombi, took a couple of slow steps out of the batter's box after connecting and was about halfway down the baseline when the ball landed in the first row of seats a few feet beyond the left-center wall. It was his fourth homer this postseason.
That go-ahead homer in the 42nd inning of this series was the first time the home team took the lead at any point through the first five games.
Houston took a 2-1 lead in the sixth when José Abreu reached out to hit a 79 mph curveball from starter Jordan Montgomery and the sharply hit ball took a tough hop off Seager at shortstop for an RBI single.
Josh Sborz entered with the bases loaded and one out but prevented further damage with the help of a diving play by Semien at second base.
Verlander retired 13 of his first 15 batters in his 21st postseason start for Houston until Lowe went the opposite way for a 380-foot homer to left field. The 40-year-old right-hander allowed four runs and six hits over 5 2/3 innings.
ROOF CLOSED
A day after the retractable roof at Globe Life Park was open during a game for the first time since May 21, it was closed again on a sunny afternoon. The temperature outside at first pitch was 91 degrees. It was 74 inside with the roof closed.
UP NEXT
All-Star pitchers Nathan Eovaldi and Framber Valdez will start Game 6, the same matchup as Game 2 when the Rangers won 5-4. Eovaldi struck out nine and allowed three runs in six innings to win Monday. Valdez had six strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings, but allowed five runs (four earned).
D-Backs tie it up
PHOENIX -- Alek Thomas hit a tying, two-run homer in a three-run eighth inning, Gabriel Moreno followed with a go-ahead single and the Arizona Diamondbacks stunned the Philadelphia Phillies with a 6-5 victory Friday night that tied the NL Championship Series at 2-2.
Arizona trailed 5-2 before Orion Kerkering's bases-loaded walk to Christian Walker with two outs in the seventh.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. doubled leading off the eighth against Craig Kimbrel, who gave up Ketel Marte's game-ending single in Game 3. Thomas, pinch hitting for Emmanuel Rivera with one out, sent a full-count fastball splashing into the right-center field swimming pool to tie the score 5-5 as a sellout crowd of 47,806 at Chase Field roared.
Marte singled with two outs, Corbin Carroll was hit by a pitch and Jose Alvarado relieved. Moreno laced a singled to left-center to drive in the go-ahead run for Arizona.
Kyle Schwarber, whose fourth-inning homer sparked Philadelphia's comeback from a 2-0 deficit, doubled with two outs in the ninth off Paul Sewald, Arizona's eighth pitcher.
Sewald struck out Trea Turner for his fifth save of the postseason.
Game 5 in the best-of-seven series is Saturday night.
Houston earlier scored three times in the ninth to win 5-4 at Texas and take a 3-2 lead in the AL Championship Series. It was the first time in major league history two teams rallied to win postseason games on the same day after trailing by two runs or more in the eighth inning or later.
Arizona, in the postseason for the first time since 2017, lost the first two games of the series at Citizens Bank Park. The Diamondbacks built a two-run lead against the defending NL champions on run-scoring singles by Rivera in the second and Moreno in the third.
Schwarber's homer was his fourth of this postseason and the 19th of his postseason career, passing Reggie Jackson for most among left-handed batters,
Brandon Marsh's two-out RBI double tied the score in the fifth, and the Phillies opened a 4-2 lead in the sixth after three straight walks by rookie lefty Andrew Saalfrank.
Alec Bohm followed with a chopper down the third-base line off Ryan Thompson. Rivera gloved the ball with a backhand grab that took him into foul territory and made an off-balance throw home from near the coach's box. The ball short-hopped Gabriel Moreno and bounced off the catcher as two runs scored, one on the hit and one on the throwing error.
Trea Turner added a seventh-inning sacrifice fly.
WEB GEM
Gurriel saved a potential extra-base hit in the second with a leaping catch at the left field wall after a drive by J.T. Realmuto.
ARIZONA ICONS
Former Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Three-time NBA All-Star Devin Booker was also in attendance, drawing a large cheer when he was pictured on the video board.
KEEPING IT COOL
The temperature inside Chase Field was 76 at game time, when it it was 102 outside the retractable roof ballpark.
UP NEXT
Philadelphia RHP Zach Wheeler (2-0, 2.37 ERA postseason) starts Saturday night against RHP Zac Gallen (2-1, 4.96 ERA).