Mark Teixeira's 3-run shot caps New York Yankees' comeback

NEW YORK -- A rare Mark Teixeira feat carried the New York Yankees to a win Thursday.

Teixeira hit an opposite-field, three-run, tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning, and the Yankees beat the Houston Astros 8-5 at Yankee Stadium.

New York took two of three in the series between teams that faced off in the 2015 American League wild-card game.

Teixeira hit his second home run in as many games. The switch hitter connected off Michael Feliz on Wednesday, a drive that cleared the right field fence. His shot off Ken Giles was in a similar location to his game-winning home run in Game 2 of the 2009 AL Division Series against the Minnesota Twins.

According to baseball-reference.com, it was Teixeira's first down the left field line at Yankee Stadium since June 4, 2013, against Scott Kazmir in a game against the Cleveland Indians.

"I don't hit many that way," Teixeira said. "I haven't hit many that way my entire career. When I do, it feels good. It's good to have that kind of swing."

Teixeira was in position to get the game-winning hit after Brett Gardner singled off Will Harris (0-1) and Alex Rodriguez singled up the middle against Giles on a 98 mph fastball. Facing a similar pitch, Teixeira made contact with the end of his bat and watched the ball carry into the lower rows of the left field seats a few feet from the foul pole.

"I just didn't think it was high enough," Teixeira said. "I hit it really well, a line drive. I didn't know if it was going to get high enough. At the very least, it's a run or two, and I was just happy about the swing."

Yankees manager Joe Girardi said, "He's facing a guy that throws hard. He gets the head of the bat to it and is able to drive it the other way, which is extremely important. It just says that he's letting the ball travel."

Teixeira's 193rd home run with New York and 18th three-run home run at Yankee Stadium capped a productive three-game series in which the Yankees scored 27 runs.

Giles served up a home run ball for the second time in as many outings.

"I was trying to go in," Giles said. "I didn't locate it well enough. That's all there is."

Before Teixeira completed the comeback, the Yankees started rallying from an early 3-0 deficit by getting a sacrifice fly by Chase Headley and a run-scoring double by Jacoby Ellsbury. After New York fell behind 5-2, Brian McCann and Starlin Castro hit solo home runs in the fourth, and Rodriguez hit a game-tying double in the fifth.

"We didn't make pitches or they executed their at-bats," Houston manager A.J. Hinch said.

Teixeira's home run came on a 57-degree day on which neither starter lasted past the fifth inning after the game was delayed 12 minutes by rain.

New York's Nathan Eovaldi allowed five runs and six hits in five innings. Houston's Mike Fiers gave up five runs and nine hits in five innings.

Houston star shortstop Carlos Correa was 0-for-4, but the Astros got a big day from Tyler White. The rookie first baseman hit his first career home run, had three hits and drove in four runs. Houston's other run came on a solo home run by Preston Tucker.

Chasen Shreve (1-0) pitched a hitless seventh for the win, and Dellin Betances threw a perfect eighth inning. Andrew Miller put two on in the ninth before securing his first save of the season.

The Astros took a 3-0 lead with two outs in the second when White drove an 0-1 pitch over the center field wall and Tucker sent a full-count slider into the second deck in right field.

White added a two-run single in the fifth before the Yankees completed their rally.

NOTES: Houston RHP Lance McCullers (sore shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Monday with Double-A Corpus Christi, pitching two to three innings. ... According to Elias Sports Bureau, Wednesday was the second time since 1960 the Yankees scored at least three runs during each of the first three innings of a game and the first time at home since July 26, 1931, against the Chicago White Sox. ... The Astros made three roster moves, optioning RHP Michael Feliz to Triple-A Fresno, purchasing the contract of RHP Chris Devenski from Fresno and designating RHP Dan Reynolds for assignment. ... Starlin Castro is the first Yankee second baseman to collect at least one extra-base hit in each of New York's first three games of a season.