On Aug. 9, 2025, the Houston Astros fell 5-4 to the New York Yankees despite Jeremy Peña’s HR and Carlos Correa’s RBI; Trent Grisham’s 8th blast decided it.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
On a night that felt like October-lite, the Astros rallied, blinked, and then watched Trent Grisham’s 408-foot homer undo it all. Houston fell 5-4 to the Yankees on Saturday, but the bigger picture came into focus: Jeremy Peña is back—and mashing—and Carlos Correa’s return is already reshaping the infield, the lineup, and the clubhouse. With the loss, the Astros slipped to 65-53, their AL West edge now a precarious one game over the charging Mariners.
Astros’ AL West lead shrinks to one: Houston 65-53 (.556), Seattle 64-53 (.547) after a 5-4 loss in the Bronx.
Houston opened with a jolt: Jeremy Peña, fresh off the IL, launched a 404-foot solo shot in his first trip to the plate. The Yankees punched back, and while Carlos Correa’s RBI single in the fourth steadied Houston, New York carried a 4-2 lead late. The eighth inning felt like a turning point—Jose Altuve’s RBI single and a bases-loaded walk to Christian Walker, aided by two Yankee errors, knotted it 4-4. Then came the gut punch: in the bottom half, Trent Grisham met a Bryan King offering and sent it out to right-center for the 5-4 final. King took the loss (3-3). Altuve finished with two hits and the game-tying RBI; Peña homered; Correa chipped in with an RBI.
This is the headline beyond the box score. After more than a month out with a rib fracture, Peña didn’t just look healthy—he looked like the guy who was playing at an MVP level before the injury. He’s at .322/.378/.489 with 11 homers, 18 doubles, a triple, and 15 steals in 350 plate appearances, and he’s still flashing Gold Glove-caliber defense. His return deepens the top and middle of the order and gives Houston its most dynamic shortstop play since, well, the last time a certain star wore this uniform.
Reacquired at the deadline, Carlos Correa has slid right into third base and right back into the team’s DNA. He delivered an RBI single Saturday, but the bigger impact is structural: Correa at third plus Peña at short instantly upgrades the left side of the infield and clarifies roles. Correa’s mentoring of Peña—on positioning, prep, and late-inning composure—matters in a division race that will be decided on margins. The leadership and October mileage are precisely why Houston moved fast to bring him back.
The Astros tied it with disciplined at-bats and pressure on the Yankees’ defense, but a single mistake pitch in a leverage spot flipped the night. That’s the story of August baseball in a tight race. Expect Houston to keep tightening its bullpen matchups and leverage lanes as roles settle behind the high-leverage arms. The offense, meanwhile, showed the shape of its identity with Peña setting a tone, Altuve grinding, and Correa/Waker providing run-producing at-bats. The ingredients are there; the timing must follow.
The Astros didn’t just add Correa; they also brought in Jesús Sánchez and Ramón Urías, activated Peña, recalled righty Nick Hernandez, traded Ryan Gusto to the Marlins, and designated Zack Short for assignment. To make room and preserve playing time, infield prospect Brice Matthews and outfield prospect Jacob Melton were optioned to Triple-A Sugar Land. The result: a deeper, more veteran bench and infield coverage, plus the flexibility to mix-and-match based on matchups as the stakes rise.
Matthews (INF) and Melton (OF) head to Sugar Land as part of the post-deadline chessboard. That’s not a demotion of belief—it’s a development window. Both remain among the organization’s premium talents. With rosters set to expand soon enough, strong Triple-A runs could put either back in play if injuries or performance create an opening. For now, the big-league club prioritizes experience while keeping the pipeline warm.
The loss trims Houston’s AL West lead to a single game over Seattle (Astros 65-53, Mariners 64-53). That’s effectively a coin flip with seven weeks to go. The series continues Sunday in the Bronx, and the Astros will lean on their upgraded infield, Altuve’s table-setting, and a bullpen eager to bounce back from the 8th-inning sting. Bank the lessons, win the next one—because in this race, September urgency has arrived in mid-August.
This one stung, but it also showcased the version of the Astros built for the stretch: Peña’s star power is back on the field, Correa’s presence has stabilized the infield and the room, and the roster is deeper. The margin is slim, the race is real, and Sunday offers a fast chance to flip the script. The mission is simple: stack clean innings, cash the extra outs, and let the new core settle into a winning groove.
