HOUSTON — The Houston Astros returned home in style Monday, rolling past Triple-A Sugar Land 9-1 in the first of two exhibition games at Daikin Park ahead of Thursday’s Opening Day.
Tatsuya Imai set the tone early, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings while allowing two hits and striking out three. Houston’s bullpen followed with a steady, workmanlike effort before the offense broke the game open late.
What had been a quiet 2-1 contest turned decisively in the ninth. The Astros sent nine batters to the plate in the final frame, scoring eight runs on six hits to turn a close exhibition into a blowout. Lucas Spence delivered the biggest swing of the night, launching a three-run homer off Sugar Land reliever Anthony Maldonado with two outs. The 23-year-old outfield prospect finished with four RBI.
Zach Cole helped spark the rally, reaching on a hit-by-pitch, stealing two bases, and scoring on a throwing error. Brice Matthews, Pascanel Ferreras, and César Salazar each added hits in the inning, with Matthews driving in a run and Ferreras crossing the plate twice.
Houston’s offense had started earlier, if more quietly. In the second inning, Joey Loperfido singled and later scored on a Cam Smith double—Smith’s first of the spring—before a Christian Walker sacrifice fly was misplayed into a two-run error, allowing both runners to score and giving the Astros a 2-0 lead.
On the mound, Houston pieced together a clean night behind Imai. Trey McLoughlin recorded one out before giving way to Christian Roa, who retired all six batters he faced across two innings. Ryan Weiss followed with a scoreless frame, Enyel De Los Santos struck out two in the seventh despite traffic on the bases, and Bryan Abreu closed the night with a clean ninth.
Sugar Land’s lone run came in the sixth after a Taylor Trammell walk, a Carlos Pérez single, and a force-out groundball. Trammell, reassigned Sunday, also provided one of the sharper defensive plays of the night, throwing out Jose Altuve at second base in the fifth.
The Astros and Space Cowboys meet again Tuesday before Houston opens the 2026 season Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels at Daikin Park.
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