New York Yankees Clobber Astros, Now One Game from World Series
The battered Houston Astros have finally escaped their Halloween house of horrors at Yankee Stadium and head home after dropping three straight to the Bronx Bombers.
Wednesday’s 5-0 New York Yankees victory put Houston on the brink of elimination and erased what was once a two-game American League Championship Series lead and flipped the momentum in their favor, perhaps for good.
One win away!
Yankees take Game 5 and lead the series 3-2 heading back to Houston#ALCS pic.twitter.com/DlXJgbkymd
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 19, 2017
In the three games in New York, the Yankees outscored the Astros 19-5, a combination of great pitching, clutch hitting and a questionable decision by manager A.J. Hinch to go to the bullpen too early in game four when Houston had a 4-1 lead in the seventh.
Yankee hitting made mincemeat out of the pen and seized the initiative which carried over into Wednesday’s game.
New York pitcher Masahiro Tanaka shut down a once-potent Astros lineup, surrendering three hits in seven innings. Yankees pitching has been lights out in the ALCS and the body language of the Houston hitters shows their frustration.
Worse for the Astros, the Yankees were finally able to solve ace leftie Dallas Keuchel who has bedeviled them. Keuchel was punished and driven from the mound after a mere 4 2/3 innings after surrendering four runs.
Nemesis no more: Yankees finally conquer Dallas Keuchel https://t.co/FT1MSHl5gt #Yankees pic.twitter.com/OErDuQ8Hoo
— ESPN New York (@ESPNNewYork) October 19, 2017
It was four more than the Yankees needed to seal the deal.
The series now returns to Houston and the friendly confines of Minute Maid Park where the Astros will be facing an elimination game.
The good news is that they will have Justin Verlander pitching and hoping to follow up on his dominant performance in game two to force a deciding game seven.
But unless the bats awaken from their slumber, not even he may be enough to stop a Yankee squad that now has the look of a team of destiny.
Game six will take place Friday night at 8 pm ET.
