Altuve, Astros stun Rangers in Game 5

Jose Altuve hit a threerun homer in the ninth inning and the Astros, after getting into another bench-clearing scuffle with the Texas Rangers, rallied for a 5-4 victory in a wild and testy Game 5 of the AL Championship Series on Friday.

After winning all three games at rival Texas, the defending champion Astros head home to Houston needing one win to reach a third consecutive World Series. They lead 3-2 in the best-of-seven playoff going into Game 6 on Sunday night.

Adolis García punctuated his towering threerun homer in the sixth with a slow trot and an empathic spike of his bat after watching the ball clear the wall to give Texas a 4-2 lead.

When the slugger came to bat again with a runner on first in the eighth, Bryan Abreu hit García on the left arm with a pitch. An angry García immediately turned to get in the face of catcher Martín Maldonado — the two also jawed nose-tonose when García touched home plate after his grand slam in Houston on July 26.

Both benches and bullpens cleared, and once things settled down, García, Abreu and Astros manager Dusty Baker were ejected.

NBA

CAVS LOSE AT INDIANA >> Donovan Mitchell lead all scorers with 28 points but the Cavaliers lost at Indiana, 109-104, in preseason action Oct. 20.

Evan Mobley added 18 points and eight rebounds for Cleveland (0-3). Caris LeVert scored 12 points. Darius Garland did not play for the Cavaliers, which will open the regular season Oct. 25 at Brooklyn.

Buddy Hield (20 points) and Obi Toppin (17 points) led the Pacers.

Hockey

MONSTERS LOSE HOME OPENER >> Syracuse center Gabriel Dumont scored a power play goal 1:36 into the first period to spark the Crunch to a dominating 5-0 trouncing of the Monsters in their home opener.

Monsters starting goalie Jet Greaves was pulled after allowing two goals in the first period and two more in the second.

TONY GUTIERREZ — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Astros’ Jose Altuve hits a three-run home run off the Rangers’ Jose Leclerc during the ninth inning Oct. 20.