Houston Astros Star Makes Historic First-Inning Comeback

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Houston Astros star Yordan Alvarez made it a night to remember with a historic home run and grand slam in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals

In the Astros' 10-8 win over the Kansas City Royals Friday at Kauffman Stadium, Alvarez hit a home run and a grand slam in the first inning. He became just the eighth player to hit a multi-run home run and a grand slam in the same inning in MLB history, per Sportradar.

Alvarez's first blast came off of Royals starter Luinder Avila when he hammered an 84 mph curveball to the opposite field, 368 feet over the left-field wall for a two-run home run to give the Astros a 2-0 lead.

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The Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez celebrates in the dugout after hitting a two-run home run during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., on June 12, 2026. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

First baseman Christian Walker pummeled a home run after Alvarez, giving the Astros back-to-back first-inning jacks. The inning seemed like it was going to slow down, as Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve made consecutive outs, but the Astros strung together an impressive two-out rally.

Joey Loperfido walked, while Cam Smith and Taylor Trammell both singled. Loperfido scored on Trammell’s single, making it 4-0. Christian Vásquez and Jeremy Peña both walked to load the bases, and Smith scored on a passed ball to make it 5-0.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro removed Avila from the game with Alvarez coming up for the second time in the inning with the bases loaded. Mason Black came into the game and hung an 85 mph sweeper to Alvarez, which he hit over the centerfield wall for a grand slam, giving the Astros a 9-0 lead.

The Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez celebrates with Christian Walker after hitting a grand slam during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City, Mo., on June 12, 2026. (Charlie Riedel/AP)

The scoring in the first inning wasn’t over. The Royals responded with five runs of their own in the bottom of the first. They chipped away as the game went on, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Astros’ first-inning eruption.

Alvarez finished 3-for-5 with six RBIs and moved into a tie with Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber for the MLB lead in homers with 24.

Alvarez is the 63rd player in major league history to hit two homers in one inning, and the first Houston player since Jeff Bagwell did it on June 24, 1994. He is the first since Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz did it on Aug. 12, 2008, in the first inning.

The 28-year-old has been one of the best hitters in the American League and is in MVP contention. In 70 games, he has a .321 batting average with 24 home runs and 54 RBIs, leading the American League in that category. He also leads the American League in OPS and intentional walks.