Masahiro Tanaka To Start As New York Heads To Houston For Game 1 Of The ALCS
Aaron Boone turned to James Paxton in game one of the American League Division Series verses Minnesota but he won’t go with the left -hander when New York heads to Texas for game one of the American League Championship Series against Houston on Saturday.
Instead, he will go with the Japanese right -hander Masahiro Tanaka who comes into the opening game of the American League Championship Series with an overall record of 11-9 and a postseason record of 1-0 with a 1.80 earn run average but Masahiro Tanaka has not fared well at Minute Maid Park. He has a record of 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA over four outings. He split two decisions during the Yankees' memorable ALCS showdown against the Astros in 2017, dropping Game 1 at Houston and winning Game 5 in New York. Houston won that series 4-3 en route to its first World Series title.”according to https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27823570/new-york-yankees-start-masahiro-tanaka-game-1-alcs-vs-houston-astros He will oppose Houston right -hander Zack Greinke who comes into the opening game of the American League Championship Series with a record of 18-5 and a postseason record of 0-1 with a 14.73 earn run average. “according to https://www.mlb.com/player/zack-greinke-425844 In his last start Zack Greinke allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings of ALDS Game 3 on Monday. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-astros-alcs-rematch-inevitable
As for how the regular season series between New York and Houston played out,
The Astros won the regular-season series from the Yankees, 4-3, but those meetings mean little now. They swept the Yanks in April before losing three of four in the Bronx in June, but both teams were missing several key players with injuries along the way. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
As for how New York advanced the American League Championship Series,
They swept Minnesota.
Gleyber Torres cracked his first postseason home run and contributed two deft defensive plays, Luis Severino hurled four scoreless innings before turning the game over to the bullpen and the Yankees once again popped the corks after advancing to the American League Championship Series with a 5-1 victory, completing a series sweep of Minnesota. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
By completing the sweep, the Yankees dispatched the Twins to a Major League-record 16th consecutive postseason loss -- 13 of which have come against New York, dating to 2004. Though Minnesota led the Majors with a record-setting 307 homers during the regular season, one more than the Yankees, the “Bomba Squad” was largely kept in their ballpark by the Bombers’ staff. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
That was not the case for Torres, who slugged Jake Odorizzi’s first-pitch cutter over the left-field wall for a second-inning blast that put New York on top. At 22 years and 298 days old, Torres became the youngest Yankees player to hit a postseason home run since Derek Jeter’s memorable fan-aided blast in Game 1 of the 1996 AL Championship Series against the Orioles.”according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
New York squeezed four scoreless innings out of Severino, though the right-hander’s performance was not nearly as clean as his line would indicate. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
Torres started a key double play in the first inning, and Severino pitched out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the second inning, retiring Miguel Sanó, Marwin Gonzalez and Jake Cave on a sky-high popup and a pair of strikeouts. That prompted Severino to bellow as he departed the mound, and it would not be his last exuberant display of the evening.”according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
“That situation set the tone for the rest of the game,” Severino said. “I think that was the chance for the Twins to score, and I’m happy that I could throw good pitches enough to get out of that inning.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
In the third, Brett Gardner laced an opposite-field RBI single to pad the hurler’s wallet with another run, and Severino pitched around a pair of hits to keep the Twins off the scoreboard. Severino’s 83rd and final pitch in the fourth was ripped by Gonzalez, but snared behind first base on a stellar play by DJ LeMahieu. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
Boone clapped his hands, satisfied with Severino’s performance and eager to turn the game over to a bullpen that the second-year manager believes could be the key to the 28th World Series championship in franchise history. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
“It wasn’t perfect,” Boone said, “but the guys kept making pitches.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
Like Lucy cruelly yanking the football away from an approaching Charlie Brown, the Twins were permitted moments of hope before the Bombers dashed them. Torres made a deft fifth-inning play behind Chad Green to retire Rosario and Judge used his 6-foot-7 frame to track down Sano’s deep drive to right field with an excellent grab in the sixth. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
“The team who hit the most home runs in the Major Leagues,” Judge said. “To shut them down to seven runs [in the ALDS]? That’s unheard of.””according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
Didi Gregorius continued to erase memories of an underwhelming September with a seventh-inning RBI single, providing insurance. Rosario hit an eighth-inning homer off Zack Britton, who exited later that inning with a sore right ankle, but Cameron Maybin’s ninth-inning homer restored the three-run lead.according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
Gregorius added a stellar diving catch with two men on base in the ninth, helping extinguish a potential rally. “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
“It’s always the next man up,” Gregorius said. “You play for these big moments.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
The Yankees planned to spend the evening in Minneapolis, then jet home on Wednesday. Assuming their electricity is operational, they’ll turn their attention to the Tampa Bay-Houston ALDS matchup.”according to https://www.mlb.com/yankees/news/yankees-sweep-twins-advance-to-2019-alcs
As for how Houston advanced to the American League Championship Series,
Houston who is a member of the American League West beat Tampa Bay who like New York is a member of the American League East. to advance to the American League Championship Series but unlike New York’s series against Minnesota Houston had to play a game five to advance.
The Astros’ path to the ALCS had more nail-biting moments than they could have imagined coming off a regular season in which they won a club-record and Major League-best 107 games, with the pesky Tampa Bay Rays pushing them to the brink with a winner-take-all Game 5 in the AL Division Series. “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
Any anxiety the Astros had after the Rays won Games 3 and 4 and tied the series had to be eased with starting pitcher Gerrit Cole -- unbeaten in his previous 23 starts -- taking the mound Thursday night. When Houston scored four times in the first inning against Tampa Bay starter Tyler Glasnow, expectations soared. And when the Astros polished off the 6-1 win, it was time to party at Minute Maid Park.”according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
The Astros are the first team since the 2011-13 Tigers to advance to three consecutive League Championship Series.”according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
“It’s going to be a battle,” third baseman Alex Bregman said. “They've got a great team. They hit the ball out of the ballpark. They've got good pitching. It's very similar to our team. Both teams are a little banged up during the year and persevered until we got to the ALCS, and we get to match up with them again. It was an unbelievable series we had with them during the regular season. It's going to be fun, man. It's going to be a blast.””according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
Cole put the Astros on his back and refused to let them go home. He improved to 18-0 in his last 24 starts by striking out 10 batters and allowing two hits, including one homer -- a leadoff shot by Eric Sogard in the second inning -- over eight innings. Cole set a Division Series record with 25 strikeouts, which is the most by a Houston pitcher in a single postseason series.”according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
“I feel good going out with the lineup and the defense and the bullpen that we have,” Cole said. “So that's what gives me confidence to put me in the zone, and that's what gives me confidence to prepare like I do.””according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
The Astros came out aggressive against Glasnow, with the first four batters reaching on hits and all scoring. José Altuve had an RBI single, Bregman a two-run double and Yuli Gurriel an RBI single to make it 4-0. The five hits in the inning were the most in the opening frame of any postseason game in club history.”according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
“It was just a team approach today,” Bregman said. “It was just one at-bat after another. I think [George Springer's] at-bat to lead off the game to give us that first guy on was one of the biggest hits of our season. Then you see [Michael Brantley] do it, and Springer go first to third, and use our athleticism we have. And then Altuve gets a big hit to drive in the first run, break the ice. And then Brantley went first to third, and that made my job easy hitting a fly ball, and was fortunate it stayed on the line, actually, and found some grass.” “according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
Houston didn’t manage much else against Tampa Bay manager Kevin Cash’s steady stream of relievers until Brantley and Altuve cranked back-to-back homers to start the eighth inning and send Minute Maid Park into a frenzy. The homer by Altuve was the 11th of his playoff career, setting a Major League record for the most by a second baseman (passing Chase Utley) and tying teammate Springer’s club record.”according to https://www.mlb.com/astros/news/astros-win-alds-vs-rays
First pitch is set for 8:08pm from Minute Maid Park. The game will be televised on Fox.