Astros hold off Rangers 6-5 to keep pace in AL West and improve wild-card position

HOUSTON (AP) — Jeremy Peña went 3 for 3 with a walk and scored twice, Jose Altuve drove in two runs and the Houston Astros held on Tuesday night for a 6-5 victory over the Texas Rangers.

Jesús Sánchez had a two-run single for the Astros, who nearly squandered a 6-0 lead. But they remained a half-game behind red-hot Seattle for first place in the AL West and moved a half-game ahead of Boston for the second of three American League wild cards.

Houston led by five when pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez walked with two outs in the eighth inning. Jonah Heim’s pinch-hit homer off Enyel De Los Santos cut it to 6-3.

Kyle Higashioka singled before an RBI double by Josh Jung pulled Texas to 6-4 and chased De Los Santos.

Bryan Abreu took over and walked Alejandro Osuna before pinch-hitter Adolis García’s run-scoring single made it 6-5. Abreu retired Cody Freeman on a flyball to end the inning.

In the ninth, Abreu allowed a leadoff single to Josh Smith and a two-out single to Heim before striking out Higashioka for his seventh save.

Yainer Diaz hit an RBI double in a four-run Houston fourth that made it 6-0. Texas starter Merrill Kelly (12-8) yielded nine hits and six runs in three-plus innings.

Freeman hit a solo homer in the fifth for the Rangers, who have lost three straight. They are 3 1/2 games behind Boston for the AL's last postseason spot with 10 to play.

Houston starter AJ Blubaugh allowed two hits and struck out seven over three scoreless innings in his second major league start. Colton Gordon (5-4) gave up two hits and a run in three innings of relief for the win.

Abreu's strikeout of Higashioka to complete the four-out save.

The season series between the teams is tied 6-6.

Texas RHP Jacob deGrom (12-7, 2.82 ERA) opposes RHP Cristian Javier (1-3, 4.78) in the series finale Wednesday night.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Houston Astros' Jeremy Pena scores his second run in front of umpire Cory Blaser, top, against the Texas Rangers during the third inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Houston Astros's Victor Caratini, right, loses his bat on his swing in front of Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka, center, and umpire Cory Blaser, left, during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Houston Astros designated hitter Yainer Diaz, right, slides behind Texas Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka, left, as he scores on the RBI single by Jesus Sanchez during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Danny Coulombe throws against the Houston Astros during the fifth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

Houston Astros' Victor Caratini (17) and Yainer Diaz (21) celebrate after the both scored on the RBI single by Jesus Sanchez against the Texas Rangers during the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, in Houston. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — All six crew members of a KC-135 refueling aircraft supporting operations against Iran are dead, the U.S. military said Friday, after their plane crashed in western Iraq.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees the Middle East, said the crash followed an unspecified incident involving two aircraft in “friendly airspace,” and that the other plane landed safely.

The crash brings the U.S. death toll in Operation Epic Fury to at least 13 service members, seven of whom were killed in combat. About 140 U.S. service members have been injured, including eight severely, the Pentagon said earlier this week.

Here’s what is known so far about the tanker, which is the fourth publicly acknowledged U.S. aircraft to crash during the war against Iran:

The U.S. Central Command said all six crew members on board the crashed KC-135 have been confirmed dead. It said the circumstances of the crash are under investigation but that the loss of the aircraft was “not due to hostile or friendly fire.”

A U.S. official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the developing situation, said the other plane involved was also a KC-135. Yechiel Leiter, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S., wrote on X that the other plane landed safely in Israel.

Yang said it would be rare for a refueling tanker to be downed by enemy fire because such operations are usually conducted in the rear of combat zones.

The crash came after three U.S. F-15E fighter jets were mistakenly downed last week by friendly Kuwaiti fire.

The KC-135 Stratotanker is a U.S. Air Force aircraft used to refuel other planes in midair, allowing them to travel longer distances and maintain operations longer without landing. The plane is also used to transport wounded personnel during medical evacuations or conduct surveillance missions, according to military experts.

Based on the same design as the Boeing 707 passenger plane, the tanker has been in service for more than 60 years, supporting the U.S. Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps as well as allied aircraft, according to an Air Force description. The aging plane is set to be gradually phased out as more of the next-generation KC-46A Pegasus tankers enter service.

Despite upgrades over the years, the KC-135s’ age has fueled concern about their reliability and durability.

“The last of these planes were produced in the 1960s,” said Yang Uk, a security expert at South Korea’s Asan Institute for Policy Studies. He added that the transition to the KC-46A has progressed more slowly than expected.

According to the Congressional Research Service, the Air Force last year had 376 KC-135s, including 151 on active duty, 163 in the Air National Guard and 62 in the Air Force Reserve.

A basic KC-135 crew has three people: a pilot, co-pilot and boom operator. Nurses and medical technicians are added in aeromedical evacuation missions.

Refueling typically happens at the back of the plane, where the boom operator is located. A fuel boom is lowered to connect with fighters, bombers or other aircraft. On many of the planes, the boom operator works lying face down while looking out of a window on the underside of the plane.

Some KC-135s can also refuel planes from pods on their wings. The tankers also have room to carry cargo or passengers if needed.

Refueling tankers could play an increasingly important role if the Iran war drags on, as U.S. aircraft may need to fly longer missions to pursue Iranian forces retreating deeper into the country, said Yang.

KC-135s have previously been involved in several fatal accidents. The most recent occurred on May 3, 2013, when a KC-135R crashed after takeoff south of Chaldovar, Kyrgyzstan, while supporting the war in Afghanistan.

In that crash, the crew experienced problems with the plane’s rudder, according to a U.S. Air Force investigation. While they struggled to stabilize the plane, the tail section broke away and the plane exploded midair, killing all three crewmembers onboard.

The most serious mid-air collision involving the plane happened in 1966, when a B-52 bomber carrying nuclear bombs struck a tanker near Palomares, Spain.

The accident caused the tanker to crash, killing four onboard. The disaster led to an extensive decontamination effort to clean up nuclear material dispersed when conventional explosives in the hydrogen bombs detonated after hitting the ground.

Schreck reported from Bangkok. AP writers Ben Finley and Konstantin Toropin in Washington contributed.

FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker refueling tanker aircraft takes off from the Kadena Air Base airfield in Kadena town, west of Okinawa, southern Japan, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae, File)

FILE - A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling aircraft performs a flyover during the national anthem before an NCAA college football game between Central Florida and Georgia Tech, Sept. 24, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, File)