Houston Astros rookie center fielder Lucas Spence hit the first three home runs of his MLB career Thursday, helping beat the Athletics 7-5 in West Sacramento. The win kept Houston tied with Texas atop the AL West; the Astros hold the tiebreaker.
Spence homered in the second, seventh and ninth innings at the Athletics' temporary home, Sutter Health Park. MLB.com's Sarah Langs reported he is only the third player in MLB history to hit his first three career homers in one game; Seby Zavala did so in 2021, and Joshua Baez on Aug. 15 this season.
Spence made his MLB debut in July, was optioned a few weeks later and recalled Wednesday. Before Thursday's game, he was 6-for-40 with a .419 OPS over 15 MLB games; he collected 12 total bases Thursday, compared with seven in his first 15 games. Houston has three games left against the Athletics, while Texas starts a three-game road series against Minnesota on Friday.
