Houston won Game 1 of the ALCS, 4-2, thanks to three home runs hit off the Yankees’ bullpen by the Astros and Justin Verlander playing in Cy Young-caliber fashion.
The teams were tied at one run each going into the bottom of the sixth after an early run exchange. With reliever Clarke Schmidt turning a double play to get out of a jam after manager Aaron Boone left starter Jameson Taillon in to start facing the Astros order for the third time, the Yankees had already walked a fine line in the fifth inning. It was too much to let Schmidt return for the sixth. To increase the Astros’ lead, Yuli Gurriel and Chas McCormick each hit solo home runs.
Astros rookie shortstop In the seventh inning, Frankie Montas, the Yankees trade deadline addition who was added to the ALCS roster and utilized out of the bullpen, hit a towering home run, giving Jeremy Pea—hero of Houston’s 18-inning victory over the Mariners in the ALDS—an additional run.
The rookie of Astro claimed a solo home run
At T-Mobile Park in Seattle on Saturday, Jeremy Pea came through in the clutch with a solo home run that broke a scoreless stalemate. One of the greatest pitching duels in MLB history occurred in Game 3, but Houston’s lineup eventually made a breakthrough thanks to the play of their rookie shortstop. As they attempt to clinch their sixth consecutive ALCS spot, the Astros currently enjoy a 1-0 lead in Game 3.
Verlander on the pitch
Verlander continues to be the difference between the two American League titans even at the age of 39 and with a reconstructed right arm, whether or not cheating batters are involved.
Running through Verlander is the more difficult assignment if the league runs through Houston, as seen by the Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge and the six straight ALCS appearances. And once again, the Yankees weren’t ready for it.
Six innings of Verlander’s work saw him strike out 11 Yankees, keeping his team in the game against a team that had flown in from New York exhausted from just crossing out the AL Division prior to the match with Cleveland. Ultimately, home runs by Yuli Gurriel, Chas McCormick, and Jeremy Pea off the overworked Yankees bullpen made the difference in a 4-2 victory in Game 1.
The Mariners won’t set away anytime soon
Since Joe Carter’s home run that gave Toronto the 1993 World Series victory, it had been a while since a team that was trailing had scored the game-winning shot.
Although the Astros’ 8-7 triumph over the Seattle Mariners came so early in the postseason that it won’t go down in history, the 41,125 spectators and those in both clubhouses couldn’t be more surprised by Alvarez.
The Mariners, who are playing in the postseason for the first time in almost two decades, lost a lead similar to the one they overcame in their victory against Toronto on Saturday to secure the wild card. Alex Bregman’s two-run home run in the eighth inning helped Houston overturn a 7-3 deficit, and the Astros went on to win their ninth straight playoff game, tying a major league record.
The Mariners’ rookie pitcher, George Kirby, will start his first postseason game for the team. In the AL Wild Card series, he pitched one no-hit inning in relief while facing the Toronto Blue Jays, striking out one and walking one. In his first season in the majors, Kirby made 25 starts and finished with an 8-5 record and a 3.39 ERA.