Lucas Spence was promoted to the Major Leagues by the Houston Astros again on September 23, this time to take the place of Brice Matthews , who was placed on the injured list with inflammation in his left knee.
Spence went 0-for-3 in his return last Thursday, the final game of the series against the Seattle Mariners , which ended in a 6-5 loss for the Astros at T-Mobile Park, with a walk-off single by Josh Naylor in the bottom of the 10th inning. So Spence entered Thursday night in Sacramento with a 1-for-16 mark and eight strikeouts in his last 18 plate appearances.
After his first call-up to make his MLB debut with Houston between July 17 and August 2, Spence batted .162/.244/.189 with just six hits, 15 strikeouts and three RBIs. But the Astros gave Spence another opportunity, and his performance Friday night in the first game of the series against the Athletics was memorable: he went 3-for-4, hit three home runs and drove in five of the seven runs, a performance that could well have saved Houston's season, as they earned a 7-5 victory to remain in the fight to reach the playoffs.
According to Sarah Langs of MLB.com, Spence became the third player in Major League history to hit each of his first three home runs in the same game, joining Joshua Baez (he did it in his MLB debut on August 15, 2026) and Seby Zavala (July 31, 2021).
Houston Astros center fielder Lucas Spence (28). Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Spence opened the scoring with a three-run home run with one out in the top of the second inning, hitting a changeup from right-hander Mason Barnett on a 1-1 count. But that was only the beginning of a challenge based on home runs, as the Athletics came back to take the lead with back-to-back home runs, starting with a three-run home run by Jeff McNeil in the bottom of the third, followed by another solo home run by Zack Gelof .
At the start of the sixth, Isaac Paredes led off with his 24th home run of the season to tie the score, 4-4. Spence came to the plate in the top of the seventh after hitting a flyout to center in the fourth inning. Right-hander Scott Blewett came in to relieve for the Athletics and challenged Spence with a 97.5 mph fastball. Spence crushed it for a solo home run that broke the tie and gave the Astros a 5-4 lead.
The battle continued: At the start of the eighth, Christian Walker hit a solo home run, his 27th of the year, a 436-foot blast to center field. But in the bottom half, Gelof responded again for the Athletics with his second solo home run of the night, hitting a slider from left-hander Bennett Souza to bring the Athletics within 6-5.
That is how the game reached the start of the ninth, with Houston looking for its first win of the four-game series in Sacramento. Spence did not take long to complete his historic night. He attacked the first pitch from reliever Elvis Alvarado , a 97.1 mph fastball right down the middle. Spence responded with a lethal swing that sent the ball at 101.8 mph beyond the limits in right field.
With his great night in Sacramento, Spence joined a historic list of 14 players who have hit three home runs in a game for the Astros, led by Yordan lvarez (3), Jeff Bagwell (3) and Glenn Davis (2), the only ones who have repeated the feat at least once.
With only three games remaining in the regular season, Houston took control of the division again, although they are tied with the Texas Rangers at 79-80. The Astros have the advantage of having won the series against Texas, so in the event of a tie, they would earn the playoff berth.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/astros/onsi as Lucas Spence's Historic Game Could Have Saved the Astros' Season .
