Watch: Houston Astros first baseman JJ Matijevic silences Chicago White Sox, hammers a home run on his first MLB hit

The Houston Astros closed out their three-game series against the Chicago White Sox and have clinched it 2-1 after a slim victory in the battle of reigning division winners from last season.

The Astros defeated the White Sox 4-3 in yesterday's game courtesy of a Kyle Tucker RBI single, a Mauricio Dubon two-run blast, and a memorable first home run for rookie J.J. Matijevic. The 26-year-old first baseman opened the scoring in the fourth inning with a 343-foot bomb to left field.

"J.J. Matijevic gets his first MLB HR on his first MLB hit 🤯🔥 (via @Astros) - @ B/R Walk-Off

Matijevic's home run was the first hit of his major league career and was off the clinical Chicago White Sox pitcher Dallas Kopech, who just sports a 2.38 through 12 starts this season. The first baseman went 1-for-4 in his first major league game.

The win gave the Astros a record of 41-25 while the White Sox fell to 31-33. Houston are now 9.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels in their division. While Chicago, on the other hand, are falling off and are five games behind the division-leading Minnesota Twins.

Houston Astros' Outlook

Just like last year, the Astros have dominated the American League West. They now have a run differential of +53 and have a 21-12 record against their divisional foes.

It will be a challenging week ahead for the Houston Astros as they host the New York Mets for a short interleague series then will travel to the Bronx to face off against the New York Yankees for a four-game series.

After their series with the Bombers, they will have a return fixture as they visit Queens for another interleague matchup with the Mets. It is perhaps the toughest week in the Astros' schedule this year. After the Mets series, they will face the Yankees at home in a one-off before battling division rivals the Los Angeles Angels.

The Houston Astros are currently one of the best teams in baseball in terms of pitching. Their rotation and bullpen carry a 3.04 ERA as a collective while holding opposing batters to a .220 average.

The ageless Justin Verlander is on track for another Cy Young worthy campaign. He currently holds a 2.30 ERA with a 8-3 record while only having a WHIP of 0.89. Verlander has been an integral part of this organization for years and it seems like there is no stopping him soon.