Sacramento A’s Lawrence Butler runs the bases after hitting a ninth inning three run home run against the Houston Astros at Daikin Park in Houston on Sat Jul 26, 2025 (AP News photo)

Butler Blasts the Door Open as A’s Outmuscle Houston Late 5-1 For 3 Game Sweep

By Mauricio Segura

Them Sactown boys rolled into Daikin Park with an underdog’s swagger and walked away with a statement win Saturday, thanks in large part to a ninth-inning bomb from Lawrence Butler that put an exclamation point on a 5-1 victory over the Houston Astros.

It wasn’t always pretty, but the Sacramento A’s pieced together just enough early offense, held their nerve through a tense middle stretch, and then erupted late to seal the deal. On a night where both teams leaned heavily on their bullpens, the Green and Gold had the final word.

The game started with Brent Rooker doing what he’s been doing all year, making pitchers pay for mistakes. His two-out double in the top of the first drove in Nick Kurtz and gave the Athletics a quick 1-0 lead. That early run looked like it might be enough for a while, as starter Jacob Lopez and reliever Justin Sterner danced through danger against a Houston lineup that couldn’t quite cash in on their opportunities.

The Astros had their chances. In the first inning, Jose Altuve and Christian Walker both drew walks, putting traffic on the bases with just one out. But Yainer Diaz’s fielder’s choice and a bunt attempt from Chas McCormick that didn’t fool anyone killed the rally. That kind of frustrating inning would become a theme for Houston.

Lopez pitched with poise until the fifth, when Sterner took over. The A’s bullpen was tight, giving up just one run the rest of the way. The lone misstep came in the bottom of the sixth, when the Astros finally broke through. Christian Walker doubled, Yainer Diaz singled him to third, and Chas McCormick lifted a sacrifice fly to center that tied things at 1-1. But the tying run felt more like a temporary pause than a momentum shift.

Just one half-inning earlier, Shea Langeliers had launched his 16th homer of the season, an absolute rope into the left-center seats, to put the A’s up 2-0. Even though the Astros had responded, the A’s weren’t rattled.

Then came the ninth inning, where things got a little loud.

After two quick outs, it looked like Houston’s Héctor Neris might escape unscathed. But then shortstop Zack Short mishandled what should’ve been the third out, allowing Max Schuemann to reach.

A walk to Luis Urías followed, setting the table for Lawrence Butler. Neris tried to sneak a fastball by him, but Butler was ready and demolished it over the right-field wall for a three-run shot. In the blink of an eye, what had been a nail-biter turned into a comfortable 5-1 lead.

Houston, meanwhile, couldn’t figure out Miller, who entered in the ninth and slammed the door with a strikeout, a lineout, and a weak groundout to end it. The Astros struck out 14 times in total and were held to just five hits, a stat line that underscored their inability to mount any sustained offensive threat.

As the A’s continue to navigate life on the road and the trials of a franchise in transition, games like this offer a glimpse of what could be. If the kids keep hitting and the arms hold up, they’ll be more than just spoilers down the stretch. They’ll be a problem to the other contenders.

Costa Rican-born Mauricio Segura has been covering sports in the Bay Area since 2001 for a variety of magazines and newspapers, as well as his own publication, Golden Bay Times