Who Counted The Yankee’s Out?

16 Oct, 2017

Each of the three October contests between the Astros and Yankees have featured loud chants of “M-V-P!” echoing throughout a sold-out venue.

Jose Altuve’s fantastic season has continued for Houston, but Monday night’s plaudits were for Aaron Judge, as the Yanks’ rookie right fielder enjoyed a postseason performance for the ages at Yankee Stadium.

Judge crushed a three-run homer in the fourth inning and made several splendid defensive plays, including a fearless crash into the right-field wall in the top of the fourth, as he made his presence felt by powering the Yankees’ surge in an 8-1 victory over the Astros in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.

Todd Frazier hit a three-run homer in the second inning for New York, his first career playoff long ball, as a raucous crowd of 49,373 watched the Yankees remain undefeated at home this postseason and slice the Astros’ ALCS lead to 2-1. Teams down 2-1 in best-of-seven postseason series are 40-94, including 12-38 in the LCS, though they are 5-5 since 2012.

Left-hander CC Sabathia continued his season-long trend of delivering money outings following a Yankees loss, limiting the Astros to three hits and four walks while striking out five over six scoreless innings. In 13 starts following a Yanks loss this season, Sabathia has gone 10-0 with a 1.69 ERA, including the playoffs.

Houston right-hander Charlie Morton was tagged for seven runs and six hits in 3 2/3 innings. Will Harris relieved Morton and shook off catcher Evan Gattis twice before serving up a 2-2, 93.4-mph fastball that Judge blasted for his second homer of the postseason, capping a five-run fourth inning for New York.

Dellin Betances walked both men he faced in the ninth inning, and Tommy Kahnle issued a bases-loaded free pass to Alex Bregman that broke up the shutout, before getting Altuve to bounce up the middle into a game-ending double play.

MLB.com

Image Yankees twitter

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