Pressly after Astros edge out Texas in ALCS Game 5: 'This team is resilient'

Down 4-2 with two on base and one out in the top of the ninth inning, the player the Houston Astros needed the most stepped up to the plate. Like he has done several times before, infielder Jose Altuve shifted the game Houston’s way with a monster homerun (HR). Final score of Game 5 against the Texas Rangers: 5-4. Now, the current World Series champions lead the Lone Star themed American League Championship Series (ALCS) 3-2 and have a shot at capturing their third straight pennant in Game 6 at home on Oct. 22.

"This team is resilient," closer Ryan Pressly said in a short video posted by the Astros on X on Oct. 20.

Game 5 of the Texas flavored best-of-seven series was the stuff Hollywood screenwriters wish they could’ve churned out. After Houston’s Alex Bregman kicked things off with a solo HR, the Rangers erased their visitors’ 1-0 advantage to build the 4-2 lead. Adolis Garcia, a proven thorn on the Astros’ side, launched the three-shot HR to give Texas the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, and four frames later, the benches cleared when Bryan Abreu hit the Rangers slugger with a pitch, according to a Major League Baseball (MLB) report.

Garcia, Abreu, and Astros skipper Dusty Baker were subsequently ejected from the game. ESPN reported that when the ninth came around, Yanier Diaz entered the game as a pinch hitter and drove a single, bringing in Jon Singleton to the plate, who was walked. Then, per ESPN, there was Altuve, who smashed the go-ahead HR that sent the Astros home as victors.

Houston ABC station KTRK News reported that Game 2 starter Framber Valdez will get the ball for the crucial Game 6. Valdez has surrendered ten runs this postseason, and the Astros hope he summons his 2022 form in time to help them punch their ticket to another Fall Classic.