The last two times the Yankees played the Astros in the ALCS, they lost close but fought hard. However, they have a different outcome this year following a disastrous 5-0 rout in Game 3. They are now dangerously close to getting eliminated from the American League Championship Series.
After losing two close games in Houston to start the ALCS, the Yankees returned to Yankee Stadium on Saturday with high hopes of turning the table on the Astros. But they were beaten by the Astros thanks to a lifeless performance that has pushed them to the brink of playoff elimination.
In Game 3 in The Bronx, they lost 5-0 because “they couldn’t hit, they couldn’t field, and they couldn’t play” a not-so-highly-rated Cristian Javier, who pitched better than their star starter Gerrit Cole.
Because of this, the Yankees now need to win all four remaining games, starting with Game 4 on Sunday night. Nestor Cortes is set to be the starting pitcher.
Anthony Rizzo summed up the challenge when he said: “We’re up against the wall.”
When asked how likely it was that they could come back from being down 0-3, a highly optimistic Matt Carpenter said, “Wilder things have happened.”
Only the Red Sox had such a turnaround in 2004. They beat the Yankees in four straight games on their way to winning the title after losing the first three games.
Since the Astros have been punching the Yankees lately, it’s hard to see how the Yankees could win this series.
“Is it gonna be easy? No,’’ Carpenter told, “Are there a lot of people who consider this thing over? Sure. But the guys in this clubhouse are gonna fight till the end. Hopefully we can come back.”
Cole gave up five runs, three of which were earned, over five and a half innings, and the Yankees’ lifeless offense couldn’t make up for it.
A visibly upset manager Aaron Boone said:
“We’ve got to find a way right now. We know what we’re up against. We know what they’re capable of. So whether it’s taking advantage of those times you do get a mistake or at certain times going and hunting down and trying to take a strength away of theirs in a certain situation and really look for and attack a certain pitch in a situation, we got to find a way.’’
After Harrison Bader made a mistake with two outs in the second inning, Chas McCormick hit a two-run home run off Cole. Then, Cole left the game in the sixth inning with the bases full and no one out, and all three runners scored.
The offense, which had been stuck at an abysmally low level during the playoffs became worst on Saturday, which forced the packed Yankee Stadium to boo their own players.
In his first postseason start, Javier was just as good as he was during the regular season, when he threw seven innings with no hits at Yankee Stadium on June 25 as part of an Astros’ combined no-hitter.
Until Giancarlo Stanton singled to the gap in right-center with one out in the fourth inning, the right-hander this time kept the Yankees without a hit.
On the other hand, all five runs were driven in by Houston’s 7-8-9 hitters.
At the start of the bottom of the eighth inning, Josh Donaldson and Oswaldo Cabrera both walked, but Jose Trevino flew out and Anthony Rizzo lined out. Then Rafael Montero came in to face Judge. He got Judge to softly ground out, ending the Yankees’ best chance.
Who do you blame for the Yankees’ disastrous ALCS Game 3?
