Astros get much-needed victory over Rangers to avoid commanding deficit in ALCS

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The Houston Astros needed to remind everyone that they run the league until they are dethroned, and that's exactly what they did.

In as much of a must-win as one could have without being mathematical, the bats of the defending champions came out firing as they earned their much-needed first win of the American League Championship Series.

Houston took down the Texas Rangers, 8-5, to avoid a commanding three-games-to-none lead, and they now trail the series, 2-1.

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Martin Maldonado #15 of the Houston Astros celebrates after scoring a run off a single hit by Yordan Alvarez #44 against Will Smith #51 of the Texas Rangers during the seventh inning in Game Three of the American League Championship Series at Globe Life Field on October 18, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

The Astros never looked back from their three-run second inning. With the bases loaded, Yordan Alvarez scored on a wild pitch from Max Scherzer. Then, Martin Maldonado drove in two more runs with a single. In the third, Jose Altuve blasted a solo homer, and Mauricio Dubon added an RBI single in the fifth.

Josh Jung belted a two-run homer to cut Texas' deficit to three runs, and Leody Taveras robbed Alvarez of a homer in the sixth, but Alvarez wound up driving two runs on a single in the seventh. Jung got the two back with his second two-run dinger of the night in the bottom half of the seventh, but Jeremy Pena's RBI single put the Astros back up four. Adolis Garcia's eighth-inning single drove in a run, but that was the last of the Rangers' runs.

Jose Altuve #27 of the Houston Astros celebrates with