The Yankee offense and C.C. Sabathia combine to put an 8-1 pounding on the Houston Astros tonight at Yankee Stadium.
- New York Yankees 8
- Houston Astros 1
- W: C.C. Sabathia (1-0)
- L: Charlie Morton (0-1)
- ALCS, Final, Box Score
- Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York
In a game that the New York Yankees absolutely had to have, C.C. Sabathia and the Yankees offense pounded the Houston Astros 8-1 tonight on a chilly night in the Bronx. Although C.C. stands for Carsten Charles, it should stand for “constantly clutch” as the big lefty tossed six shutout innings as he improved to 10-0 in 13 starts following a Yankee loss this year.
Getting the job done with two outs consistently tonight, Aaron Judge and Todd Frazier led the way with two clutch home runs that helped the Bombers get their first win of this American League Championship Series.
Highlights
Two-Out Magic
In a series that has seen the Yankees score just two runs in two games, the New Jersey-native Todd Frazier ensured that his Bombers would put those “silent offense” rumblings to bed.
Starlin Castro got things going with a two-out infield single off of Charlie Morton in the bottom of the second. Following suit in both result and good fortune Aaron Hicks lobbed a single into center to advance Castro to second. Then, the Toddfather got treated to what Yankees beat writer Bryan Hoch refers to as a Yankee Stadium special.
The absolute best part of the clutch moment was Frazier’s trip around the base-paths. I reacted the exact same way, only I was in the comfort of my own living room. Time and time again, Frazier shows that child-like emotion that is the foundation of this great game: truly a joy to watch.
The two-out magic continued in the bottom of the fourth, as the Yankee bats sent Morton to an early shower.
Greg Bird got things going with an opposite-field ground-rule double to begin the frame. After a Castro ground out and a Hicks fly out that advanced Bird to third, Todd Frazier followed up his previous phenomenal at-bat with another stellar plate appearance that netted the third baseman a two-out walk. Chase Headley then recorded the first hit in the postseason by a Yankee DH as he ripped a ground ball to second that Jose Altuve simply could not make a play on for a RBI infield single to make it a four-run Yankee advantage.
After Brett Gardner was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Aaron Judge, Astros’ manager A.J. Hinch popped out of the dugout to pull his starter Morton in favor of right-handed reliever Will Harris. The righty struggled right away as he immediately chucked a wild pitch that allowed Frazier to waltz home to extend New York’s lead out to five.
#AllRise, ALCS Style
After an amazing catch (that you can see right here that’s courtesy of our Allison Case) earlier in the game, Aaron Judge reminded both Astros and baseball fans everywhere exactly what kind of damage he is capable of doing.
As you can hear in the video clip, Yankee Stadium absolutely erupted as the Bombers broke it wide open at 8-0. The blast was Judge’s third of the postseason and the 35th long ball in the friendly confines of his home ballpark in 2017.
Thumbs Down, Lights Out
Despite giving up a run in the top of the ninth, the Yankees bullpen was once again electric as Tommy Kahnle got Jose Altuve to ground into a game-ending double play to pull the Yankees to within a victory of tying this ALCS at 2-2.
What’s Next
The Baby Bombers will look to carry the momentum from tonight;s victory into the fourth game of this ALCS tomorrow evening.
The Yankees send out right-handed Sonny Gray to try and get this series back to even at two games apiece. Houston has yet to announce exactly who will take the ball in tomorrow; but it appears as though the Astros are deciding between two young starters, Lance McCullers Jr. and Brad Peacock. Either way, the Astros will most certainly be looking to rebound from today’s rough performance and take a commanding 3-1 series advantage.
First pitch is scheduled for 5:08 p.m. ET and can be seen on FS1 and heard on WFAN 660/101.9 FM.