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Altuve, Bregman, Make Baseball History in Incredible Game 5 Win For Houston Astros

The Houston Astros came from behind to beat the Texas Rangers in Game 5 of the ALCS on Friday night, giving the defending champions a 3-2 lead over their in-state rivals. In the win, home runs by Alex Bregman and Jose Altuve made playoff history.

A pair of home runs for the Houston Astros on Friday night made playoff baseball history.

The Astros beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 in Game 5 of the ALCS, giving the 'Stros a 3-2 series lead and moving them one win closer to a return trip to the World Series.

Bregman started the scoring, hitting a home run which gave Houston a 1-0 lead, while Altuve finished it, hitting a three-run homer in the top of the ninth inning which turned a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead.

First, with regards to Bregman. Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

Alex Bregman's 18 HR are tied with Carlos Correa for most before turning 30 in postseason history

That's ironic, given that Correa used to be a member of the Astros and the two played together for years. It also points to the success and longevity of the Astros, who have played a lot of playoff baseball, and to the success of durability of Bregman, who has been a part of each Astros playoff run since 2016. 

In the playoffs, Bregman is a lifetime .234 hitter with the 18 homers and 53 RBI. He carries a .780 playoff OPS.

This regular season, he hit .262 with 25 homers and 98 RBI.

Now, with regards to Altuve:

Altuve's 3rd go-ahead HR in 9th inning or later in postseason 

that's the most all-time

Altuve has won the World Series twice with the Astros (2017 and 2022), just like Bregman. He's a career .270 playoff hitter with 26 homers and 54 RBI.

This regular season, Altuve hit .311.

Game 6 of the ALCS is on Sunday night in Houston.

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