Yordan Álvarez Hits 21st Home Run but Astros Fall to Pirates 10-6

June 3, 2026

Cuban designated hitter Yordan Álvarez of the Houston Astros hit his 21st home run of the season on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Daikin Park in Houston, but his team could not avoid a 10-6 defeat.

Álvarez opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning with a two-run home run to left-center field off Pirates starter Bubba Chandler, giving Houston a 2-0 lead. He added an RBI single in the ninth during an attempted comeback, finishing the night with three RBIs.

Despite a strong start for the Astros — who held a 4-2 advantage through five innings behind starter Mike Burrows — the game turned in the sixth when Oneil Cruz crushed a go-ahead three-run homer to put Pittsburgh in front. Brandon Lowe added a three-run shot in the eighth to push the lead to 10-4, and though the Astros scored twice in the ninth, closer Gregory Soto shut the door for Pittsburgh.

On the 2026 season, Álvarez now carries 21 home runs — second in all of MLB behind only Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies (22) — along with 42 RBIs, a .301 batting average, .416 on-base percentage, and a 1.050 OPS across 60 games. His case for the American League Most Valuable Player award remains among the most compelling in baseball.

(With information from Sport Relay / CBS Sports / FanDuel Research)