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Loperfido's 11th-Inning Homer Lifts Astros Past Blue Jays 9-7

Joey Loperfido delivered a three-run home run in the 11th inning to secure a 9-7 victory for the Houston Astros over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Tuesday.

Cody Ferris

June 24, 20262 min read

MLBFinal
Houston Astros9
Toronto Blue Jays7

June 23, 2026

Decisive Moment

Joey Loperfido provided the decisive blow in the 11th inning, launching a three-run home run to right field that measured 379 feet. The hit, which also saw Altuve and Alvarez cross the plate, lifted the Houston Astros to a 9-6 advantage and ultimately a 9-7 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday, June 23, 2026.

Loperfido’s homer capped a dramatic extra-inning contest at Rogers Centre in Toronto, Ontario. The game remained tightly contested through the first 10 frames, with the score tied at 6-6 heading into the decisive inning. The final tally saw the visiting Astros outscore the home team 9-7, improving their record to 38-43, while the Blue Jays fell to 39-40.

Scoring Progression

Houston established an early lead in the first inning when Paredes singled to center field, allowing Altuve to score, making it 1-0. The Astros expanded their advantage in the fourth inning with a barrage of power. Diaz homered to left field (391 feet), followed by Smith’s home run to center (436 feet) and Trammell’s shot to right (421 feet), pushing the lead to 4-0.

Toronto responded in the same inning. Urías hit a two-run homer to left (363 feet) with Varsho scoring, narrowing the gap to 4-2. The Blue Jays tied the game in the seventh when Varsho homered to right (395 feet) with Okamoto scoring, making it 4-4. Okamoto then drove in two more runs in the eighth with a single to left field, sending Springer and Guerrero Jr. home to give Toronto a 6-4 lead.

Houston rallied in the ninth. Loperfido reached first base on catcher's interference; the Blue Jays challenged the call, but it was upheld. This allowed Altuve to score, Paredes to reach second, and Alvarez to reach third, making it 5-6. Smith then hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Alvarez to tie the game at 6-6.

Pitching Performances

The Astros’ bullpen secured the win after Logan VanWey earned the victory with 2.0 innings of scoreless relief. Josh Hader closed the game with a perfect inning, striking out one batter. Enyel De Los Santos took the loss, allowing two earned runs in 1.1 innings. Peter Lambert started for Houston, pitching 4.2 innings and allowing six hits and two earned runs with six strikeouts.

For Toronto, Shane Bieber started but allowed four earned runs over 3.7 innings. Tyler Rogers took the loss after allowing one earned run in 1.0 inning. Braydon Fisher pitched 2.0 innings, allowing two earned runs and taking the loss, dropping his record to 3-3.

The game drew an attendance of 38,633 spectators to Rogers Centre.

Sources

https://www.espn.com/mlb/game/_/gameId/401815868

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Cody Ferris

Cody Ferris covers Van Alstyne Panthers athletics and area high school and college sports.

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