Firstly, I just want to thank my parents for letting me once again experience the postseason Yankee Stadium crowd. The game may have been bad but it was still a fun experience. Thanks guys!
Now as for the game, man this was hard to watch, as George Springer and Carlos Correa each socked 3run HRs and the Astros pitching came up clutch in styling the Yankees offense multiple times in rout to an 8-3 win that puts them one game away from there 2nd AL Pennant in three years as they now lead this Best of 7 ALCS 3 games to 1.
It was a packed house at Yankee Stadium, as playoff ace Masahiro Tanaka toed the rubber as the Yankees looked to even the series against their new rivals and that quest got off to a good start as Masa pitched a scoreless 1st and the Yankee crowd got to Houston starter Zack Greinke, as Zack was having a walk parade and before you knew it, the Yankees had a 1-0 lead on an RBI Walk by Brett Gardner. But Zack settled down and struck out the slumping Gary Sanchez who was booed by the crowd after the strikeout.
Greinke would go on to pitch 4.1 innings of 1 run ball before getting lifted in the 5th.
As for the Tanaka, he didn’t have his best stuff on a windy night and it showed as Houston put men on base and capitalized when George Springer went deep for a 3run HR that gave the Astros a 3-1 lead.
But the Yankees wouldn’t go down without a fight as they loaded the bases with one out for Gleyber Torres as Ryan Presley came into the game out the bullpen.
The Yankees were one swing away from sending the crowd into a frenzy, but Torres and Edwin Encarnacion struck out to end the threat and deflate the crowd.
The deflation was complete in the top of the 6th, when a DJ LeMahieu error ultimately got Masa out of the game and brought in Chad Green who served up a 3run HR to Correa that gave the Astros a commanding 6-1 lead.
Sanchez would give the Yankees hope in the bottom half of the 6th, when he went deep for a 2runHR but that was as close as the Yankees got in this one as 3 errors in the final 2 innings (2 by Gleyber and 1 more by DJ) scored two more Houston runs to make the final score 8-3 Astros.
There was an emotional moment in the 8th, as CC Sabathia made his final MLB appearance and unfortunately dislocated his shoulder sidelining him for the rest of the postseason . He left the game in tears as the crowd gave him a huge standing ovation with chants of “CC” ringing throughout the ballpark. It was definitely not a way you wanted to see a Hall or Fame career end. Thank you CC, you were a “Warrior” to us all. Enjoy retirement.
MVP: Carlos Correa
LVP: Yankees offense
THOUGHTS:
Not mad about the 3 late errors as the writing was written on the wall for me after the 7th inning. But now it’s now or never,
before game 5, one of the guys must give a big speech or do something to wake these guys up. Tonight was NOT NY Yankees baseball. If ur going go down, do it fighting not like that. So get up off the matt and play like you mean it They are a good team over there, but we have to hold our own and we didn’t do that last night putting us in this position. Get that game back tonight and then off to Houston.
PS: In hindsight, the one thing I like abt game 4 of the ALDS last year was how we didn’t mope around after losing 16-1. We fought and gave them a run for there money. At least give me that In game 5! It has been too good of a season for it to end the way it did last night with leaving men on base (Though credit to HOU pitching staff like i said before) and playing the way they did late last night in the latter innings. For the dignity of the Yankees, don’t let it end like that. Go out there and don’t think, just do in Game 5.
Let’s go Yankees!
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