Astros Lose Late Lead to Athletics
The Houston Astros played the Athletics on August 22, 2026.
The Astros had a lead late in the game.
But the bullpen could not keep the lead.
The Athletics scored more runs and won the game.
The final score was 4-3 for the Athletics.
This was a big chance for the Astros.
They wanted to grow their lead in the AL West.
Now the players and fans feel sad.
They are asking what went wrong.
This is called second-guessing.
Vocabulary15 words
- lead
- being ahead in a game
- bullpen
- the relief pitchers on a baseball team
- score
- the number of points in a game
- AL West
- a group of baseball teams in the American League
- second-guessing
- thinking again about a choice, and doubting it
- recap
- a short story about what happened
- inning
- a part of a baseball game
- loss
- when a team does not win
- chance
- a good moment to do something
- doom
- to make something fail
- squander
- to lose or waste something
- letdown
- a disappointing failure
- opponent
- the other team you play against
- relief pitcher
- a pitcher who comes in late in a game
- standings
- a list that shows team rank
Quiz
Answer key
1. The Athletics 2. 4-3 Athletics 3. The bullpen
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
The Houston Astros played the Athletics on August 22, 2026.
The Astros had a _____ late in the game.
But the _____ could not keep the lead.
The Athletics scored more runs and won the game.
The final _____ was 4-3 for the Athletics.
This was a big _____ for the Astros.
They wanted to grow their lead in the _____.
Now the players and fans feel sad.
They are asking what went wrong.
This is called _____.
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