NEW YORK — Jose Altuve scored the tiebreaking run on a throwing error by Dellin Betances with one out in the eighth inning and Dallas Keuchel pitched seven solid innings as the Houston Astros opened the season with a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees on Tuesday afternoon at frigid Yankee Stadium.
Carlos Correa drove in the first two runs for the Astros with an RBI forceout in the fourth and a home run off Masahiro Tanaka in the sixth and was involved in the go-ahead run in the eighth against Betances (0-1). Luis Valbuena added insurance with a two-run single off Betances as the Astros won their fourth straight season opener.
Two innings after Correa became the youngest Astro since Terry Puhl in 1978 to homer on Opening Day, he hit a weak grounder to the first base side of the mound. Betances went to field the ball but made a high throw over first baseman Mark Teixeira’s head into right field and Altuve scored from second.
Manager Joe Girardi came out to argue with plate umpire Dana DeMuth as he contended Correa was out of the baseline. After consulting with the other umpires, DeMuth upheld the original call and Girardi returned to the dugout without being ejected although the Yankees played the rest of the game under protest even though the play cannot be reviewed.
Keuchel (1-0) allowed a two-run double to Starlin Castro in the second among three hits and actually walked four batters. He settled down after giving up the hit to Castro and issuing two walks in the third.
Red Sox 6, Indians 2
CLEVELAND — David Price struck out 10 in six innings and Mookie Betts and David Ortiz each belted two-run homers to lead Boston over Cleveland in an Opening Day game at Progressive Field.
In a battle of former Cy Young Award winners, Price outpitched Cleveland’s Corey Kluber. Price was untouchable in five of the six innings he pitched and Kluber gave up four runs in five-plus innings.
Cleveland scored two runs on four hits in the fourth inning. In the other eight innings, Price and three relievers combined to hold the Indians scoreless on one hit.
Jackie Bradley Jr. led off the third with a single to right and Betts followed with a booming home run over the left field wall to give Boston a 2-0 lead. Ortiz capped the Boston scoring with a two-run homer in the ninth off Trevor Bauer.
Mets 2, Royals 0
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Noah Syndergaard struck out nine, walked one and yielded three hits in six innings as New York topped Kansas City.
Neil Walker hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning for the only runs that Syndergaard and the Mets’ bullpen needed. Jim Henderson and Addison Reed each worked a flawless inning after Syndergaard departed. Jeurys Familia, who blew three saves in the World Series, threw a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.
Chris Young, who threw five no-hit innings against Cleveland on Sept. 27 in his final regular-season start last year, held the Mets hitless until the fourth when he yielded a home run to Walker with Yoenis Cespedes, who had walked, aboard.