HOUSTON (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth contest that defied pregame projections, the Houston Astros erupted for eight runs in the sixth inning to overcome a six-run deficit and outslug the Los Angeles Angels 11-9 on Saturday night at Daikin Park.

The victory, witnessed by a crowd of 30,740, snapped a two-game season-opening skid for the Astros and handed the Angels their first loss after two wins to start the 2026 campaign.

The game’s defining and most important sequence came in the bottom of the sixth, a half-inning of chaos that saw the Astros send 12 men to the plate, capitalize on critical Angels mistakes, and completely reverse the game’s momentum. Trailing 6-3, the inning began with a groundout before unraveling for Los Angeles.

Jake Meyers reached on a fielding error by reliever Walbert Urena, and Joey Loperfido followed with a single. After a strikeout, Urena intentionally walked Yordan Alvarez to load the bases. A walk to Isaac Paredes forced in a run, making it 6-4. Carlos Correa then hit a ground ball to catcher Logan O’Hoppe, whose throwing error allowed two more runs to score, tying the game. Christian Walker’s single gave Houston its first lead, and after another walk reloaded the bases, Yainer Diaz delivered a two-run single. Meyers, batting for the second time in the inning, capped the onslaught with a two-run double, completing the eight-run outburst and staking Houston to an 11-6 advantage.

The inning stood in stark contrast to the game’s first five frames, which were dominated by Angels starter Reid Detmers. The left-hander was brilliant early, striking out nine over 4 2/3 innings. He allowed three runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Paredes and a run-scoring single by Correa, but left with a 6-3 lead.

Los Angeles had built that lead with steady offense. Oswald Peraza launched a solo home run to left-center field in the third inning. In the fourth, Jorge Soler connected for a two-run homer, scoring Mike Trout. The Angels added three more in the fifth on an RBI single by Trout and a run-scoring double play.

The Astros’ bullpen, however, slammed the door after the sixth-inning explosion. Bryan King worked a perfect eighth with two strikeouts, and after the Angels mounted a final threat in the ninth, Kai-Wei Teng earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of scoreless, one-hit relief. Teng entered in the seventh and stranded two runners, then navigated a tense ninth.

Facing Teng in the final frame, the Angels nearly staged a stunning comeback of their own. With two outs and nobody on, Zach Neto and Trout worked back-to-back walks. Nolan Schanuel then crushed a three-run homer to right field, pulling Los Angeles within two runs at 11-9. Teng recovered to strike out Soler looking to end the 3-hour, 8-minute marathon.

Urena took the loss for the Angels, charged with five runs, though only two were earned, in two-thirds of an inning during the fateful sixth. Brent Suter provided two scoreless innings of relief for Los Angeles in the seventh and eighth.

Offensively, the Astros pounded out 13 hits, with Correa, Meyers, and Diaz each driving in two runs. The Angels managed only six hits but were hampered by grounding into three double plays. Peraza led Los Angeles with three hits, including his homer, while Schanuel’s late blast accounted for three RBIs.

The result was a surprise based on pregame analytics. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 1-0 Houston victory, and its ELO system gave the Astros a 65.3% probability to win. Despite being installed as a -1.5 run favorite, the combined 20 runs sailed far over the posted over/under line of 8.5.

The Angels fell to 2-1 with the loss, while the Astros improved to 1-2. The two teams conclude their four-game season-opening series on Sunday in Houston. Los Angeles then travels to face the Chicago Cubs for a three-game set beginning Monday. Houston will host the Boston Red Sox for three games starting Monday.