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HOUSTON — Justin Verlander was wearing a New York Mets uniform when the season began.

But on Saturday night, he was right back where he has been so many times before, on the mound for the Houston Astros helping them to another playoff win.

Verlander pitched six shutout innings, Yordan Alvarez homered twice and the Astros held on for a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins in their AL Division Series opener.

Jose Altuve hit a leadoff home run and Alvarez had three RBIs as the defending World Series champions won their 2023 playoff debut to earn their 10th straight victory in Game 1 of a division series. That set a postseason record for longest Game 1 win streak in a single round, topping the Yankees’ streak of nine consecutive World Series Game 1 wins from 1937 to 1950.

Verlander first joined the Astros in August 2017 and won his second World Series title with the team last year. He signed with the Mets in the offseason, then returned to Houston in a July trade after a brief stint in the Big Apple.

“It’s been a whirlwind of a year, season for me,” Verlander said. “To find myself back here in Houston and pitching in the playoffs is not something I foresaw, but happy to be here, happy to help contribute, and happy to be in the playoffs.”

The 40-year-old Verlander allowed four hits and walked three with six strikeouts to get his 17th win in 35 postseason starts. It was his 10th playoff win with the Astros, the most in franchise history.

“He gave us all he had like he usually does, and he gave us quality,” manager Dusty Baker said. “Even when he doesn’t have his great stuff, he still manages to get people out.”

Especially against the Twins. Since 2018, Verlander is 6-1 in seven starts versus Minnesota and has a 23-inning scoreless streak.

Former Astros star Carlos Correa had two hits for the Twins, who continued to struggle at the plate with runners in scoring position. They went 1-for-12 after going 1-for-10 in the wild-card series against Toronto.

“We had a lot of traffic out there,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’re one good swing or even one well-placed swing away from getting some real action going, putting some runs up, and we just didn’t get that.”

Verlander settled in after a shaky start and the Astros built a 5-0 lead through six innings with big swings from Altuve and Alvarez.

Héctor Neris took over for Verlander to start the seventh. With two outs, Jorge Polanco hit a soaring three-run homer to right field. Two pitches later, rookie Royce Lewis launched his third homer in three playoff games to make it 5-4.

In the bottom half, lefty Caleb Thielbar entered to face Alvarez with one out. The slugger became the first left-handed hitter to homer off Thielbar this season when he smacked an off-speed pitch off the foul pole in right to give Houston an insurance run.

“When I go up there, try not to think about the situation, try not to think about the noise,” Alvarez said in Spanish through a translator. “Just say to myself, ‘I’m the only one that can get the job done at this moment.'”

Thielbar called Alvarez a “great hitter.”

“He doesn’t really have a weakness to either hand,” he said. “You want to be the guy who comes in and faces him in a big spot. It just wasn’t meant to be today.”

Bryan Abreu got four outs for the Astros, striking out three, and Ryan Pressly fanned two in a scoreless ninth for the save. He struck out Lewis to end it.

The best-of-five series continues Sunday night in Houston, with Framber Valdez on the mound for the AL West champion Astros against Pablo López.

Altuve pounced on Bailey Ober‘s first pitch for his first career leadoff homer in the playoffs.

“It was really important,” Altuve said. “When we score first we are a better team.”

Alvarez connected off Ober on a two-run shot in the third to make it 3-0.

Altuve, who was 0-for-23 to open the playoffs last season, has 24 career postseason homers, which ranks second in major league history to Manny Ramirez (29). Saturday was Altuve’s eighth home run in the first inning of a playoff game, the most in MLB history.

Ober allowed four hits and three runs over three innings in his playoff debut for the AL Central champion Twins, who completed a two-game sweep of Toronto in the wild-card round to win a playoff series for the first time in 21 years.

The Twins had excellent chances early but were unable to push across any runs against Verlander.

“He’s a Hall of Fame pitcher for a reason,” Correa said. “Even though he doesn’t have his good stuff, he knows how to get people out. He got out of some key spots in the first three innings and they came out with the win because he figured it out and then he cruised through the last two or three.”

José Abreu‘s RBI single made it 4-0 in the fifth. Chas McCormick singled with two outs to send another run home.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Padres slugger Machado gets 2,000th career hit

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Padres slugger Machado gets 2,000th career hit

SAN DIEGO — Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres got his 2,000th career hit Monday night against the Arizona Diamondbacks with a sharp single off the glove of diving shortstop Geraldo Perdomo.

The milestone hit came off Arizona starter Zac Gallen leading off the fourth inning. Machado received a standing ovation from the crowd at Petco Park, where he has been a fan favorite since he joined the Padres as a free agent in 2019.

The All-Star slugger singled to left field in the first inning for his 1,999th hit and then hit a solo home run in the eighth for his 2,0001st hit. The three-hit performance wasn’t enough to lift San Diego, however, as it fell 6-3.

Machado became the fifth active player and 297th all time to reach the milestone. He is the 12th player to have 350 homers and 2,000 hits by his age-32 season or younger.

“Literally, hat’s off. It’s quite an accomplishment,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said after the loss on 97.3 The Fan. “To have done it, as soon as he’s done it in his career, speaks volumes. … I’m so happy for him. He’s earned it all.”

Machado made his debut with Baltimore in 2012 and had 977 hits with the Orioles before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 18, 2018. He had 73 hits with the Dodgers before signing as a free agent with the Padres on Feb. 21, 2019.

He has 950 hits with the Padres, which ranks fifth on the franchise list. Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn had 3,141 in his 20-season career.

Machado was voted the starting third baseman for the National League All-Star team this season.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: Who is the slugger to beat?

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2025 MLB Home Run Derby: Who is the slugger to beat?

The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is starting to take shape.

Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. become the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He has since been followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins.

As the entrants are announced, we’ll add them to the running list below — and break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.

Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more


2025 home runs: 9 | Longest: 467 feet

Why he could win: Acuna has been crushing it since he returned to the lineup May 23 after knee surgery. Indeed, his numbers are even better than during his MVP season in 2023. It should help that he’ll be hitting in front of his home fans in Atlanta: Todd Frazier in Cincinnati in 2015 and Bryce Harper with the Nationals in 2018 rode the loud support to Derby titles. Acuna’s raw power should also translate well to the Derby: Among players with at least 500 at-bats since 2023, he has the longest average home run distance in the majors.

Why he might not: Will he run into Pete Alonso again? Acuna competed in the 2019 and 2022 contests, losing both times to Alonso by a single home run (in the semifinals in 2019 and in the first round in 2022). The home-field advantage can also perhaps be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first with 41 home runs but then tired out in the second round.


2025 home runs: 35 | Longest: 440 feet

Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, with 32 home runs, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.

Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.


2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 451 feet

Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.

Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.


2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet

Why he can win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.

Why he won’t: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.

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Pham homer ends Pirates’ 30-inning scoreless run

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Pham homer ends Pirates' 30-inning scoreless run

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Pittsburgh Pirates are back on the board after Tommy Pham‘s two-run home run in the third inning at Kansas City on Monday night ended a 30-inning scoreless streak.

The Pirates had been shut out in all three games at Seattle during their previous series.

However, they tallied another loss against the Royals, losing 9-3.

The scoreless streak included Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Mariners in which Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes threw 10 strikeouts in five scoreless innings before the Pirates gave up a run in the bottom of the sixth.

Before beginning this nine-game trip with the sweep by the Mariners, the Pirates had blanked the St. Louis Cardinals in three consecutive home games. Their streak of playing in six straight shutouts matched the longest in major league history.

Pham, a 12-year veteran who is in his first season with the Pirates, bookended the scoreless skid with RBIs. He drove in a seventh-inning run with a groundout Wednesday during the 5-0 victory over the Cardinals.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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