The Houston Astros had their backs up against the wall on Thursday night after dropping the previous two ballgames to the Tampa Bay Rays. The Astros offense came alive early in the must-win game five of the ALDS, helping Houston make it back to the ALCS for the third straight season.

How It Happened:

The Astros started things off with an offensive flurry.started off by an RBI single from Jose Altuve followed up by a two-run double from Alex Bregman. Gurriel made it 4-0 before the first inning wrapped up with a grounder that scored Bregman.

Eric Sogard responded in the top of the second when he liked the first pitch he saw and lifted it up to right field for a solo shot to get Tampa Bay on the board.

The Astros finished it off though in the eighth with a pair of home runs from Michael Brantley and Altuve.

Big Number: 10

Feels appropriate that Gerrit Cole was the starter on October 10th, hurling 10 strikeouts on the evening to secure a trip to the ALCS.

Player of the Game: Gerrit Cole

It’s been Cole’s 11th straight start with double-digit strikeouts and he was still bringing the heat when he approached 100 pitches. That’s a statement from Cole that he’s ready to put the team on his back.