WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (Interstat) — In a wild, back-and-forth affair that defied pregame projections, the Athletics rallied for three runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to stun the Houston Astros 12-10 on Sunday evening at Sutter Health Park.

The game, which lasted 4 hours and 1 minute and saw 27 runs on 27 hits, was a dramatic departure from the previous two contests of this series, which were decisive blowouts. The victory gave the Athletics their third win of the season against six losses, while the Astros fell to 6-4.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 7-2 Houston victory, and the Astros entered as heavy favorites with a 55.6% win probability. Instead, the teams combined for a 22-run outburst that sailed over the pregame over/under line of 10.

The contest turned into a battle of bullpens and resilience after a quiet start. Through four innings, the game was a scoreless duel. The silence was shattered in the fifth, as both lineups erupted.

Houston struck first in the top of the frame. After a one-out single by Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez launched a two-run homer to right-center field, his fourth of the season. Carlos Correa then walked, and later scored on a single by Cam Smith, giving the Astros a 3-0 lead.

The Athletics responded immediately and emphatically in the bottom half, sending 10 men to the plate against Houston starter AJ Blubaugh. Max Muncy singled, Jeff McNeil walked, and Carlos Cortes drove in the first run with a double. After another walk loaded the bases, Tyler Soderstrom cleared them with a ringing triple to right field, tying the game. Brent Rooker followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Athletics a 5-3 advantage, completing the five-run inning.

Houston clawed back in the seventh. Carlos Correa singled and Christian Walker connected for a two-run homer to left-center, his second of the year, knotting the score at 5-5.

Oakland’s answer was another explosive inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Soderstrom walked and Rooker hammered a two-run shot to left field, his first homer, to reclaim a 7-5 lead. The Athletics were not done. Lawrence Butler doubled, and consecutive singles by Muncy and a deflected pop-up by McNeil brought in another run. A single by Cortes plated a fourth run of the inning, pushing the lead to 9-5.

Undeterred, the Astros mounted a massive rally in the eighth. Jake Meyers led off with a solo homer to left. After two walks loaded the bases, Altuve laced a two-run double down the left-field line, cutting the deficit to 9-8. Another walk re-loaded the bases for Cam Smith, who delivered a two-run single up the middle, vaulting Houston back into the lead at 10-9.

The Astros’ bullpen, led by Bryan King, held the line in the eighth and ninth, though threatened in the latter inning, putting runners on the corners with two outs before Shea Langeliers was thrown out at the plate trying to score on an infield single.

Houston added a critical insurance run in the top of the 10th. With the automatic runner on second, Altuve walked and Correa delivered an RBI single, extending the lead to 11-9. The Astros later loaded the bases but could not score further.

In the bottom of the 10th, facing Houston reliever Bryan Abreu, the Athletics completed the comeback. With automatic runner Shea Langeliers on second, Tyler Soderstrom walked. Brent Rooker then stepped in and crushed a 1-2 pitch from Abreu deep over the left-field wall for a three-run, walk-off home run, his second homer of the game, triggering a celebration at home plate.

The most important part of the game was undoubtedly the bottom of the 10th inning. After Houston had seized momentum with a run in the top of the frame to take a two-run lead, the Athletics’ final at-bat encapsulated the night’s volatility. Abreu, tasked with securing the save, quickly fell behind as Soderstrom worked a walk. That set the stage for Rooker, who had already driven in three runs. On a 1-2 count, he connected for the game-winning blast, a no-doubt drive that instantly erased Houston’s hard-fought extra-inning advantage and provided a stunning conclusion to the marathon contest.

Elvis Alvarado earned the win for Oakland, moving to 1-0. Bryan Abreu took the loss for Houston, his record falling to 0-1.

Key performers for the Astros included Cam Smith, who went 2-for-5 with three RBIs; Jake Meyers, who was 2-for-4 with a solo homer; and Jose Altuve, who finished 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and three runs scored. For the Athletics, Brent Rooker’s five-RBI afternoon, capped by the walk-off, was the defining performance, supported by Tyler Soderstrom’s three-run triple and three runs scored.

Attendance at Sutter Health Park was 10,085.

The Astros head to Denver to open a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies on Monday. The Athletics have an off-day before beginning a six-game road trip through New York, starting with a series against the Yankees on Tuesday.