NEW YORK — The Yankees and Astros, for the third time in five seasons, meet once again for the American League pennant.
Cleveland’s BABIP luck and timely hitting, which they rode to a 2-1 series lead in the ALDS versus New York, ran out in a winner-take-all Game 5 Tuesday night. The Guardians only scratched across one run on eight hits in their 5-1 loss to the Yankees.
New York jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning off a three-run opposite field home run by Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton’s blast tied him with Carlos Beltran for the most home runs (11) in a player’s first 23 career postseason games. Guardians starter Aaron Civale lasted just five batters in the first before manager Terry Francona pulled him having just gotten one out, leaving Cleveland’s bullpen to get the last 26 outs of the game.
Aaron Judge added his second home run of the series in the second inning pushing the Yankees’ lead to 4-0. Judge’s home run was his fourth in his career in an elimination game, which is the most in postseason history.
Because of Monday night’s rainout, it allowed Yankees Manager Aaron Boone to start Nestor Cortes, Game 2’s starter, on three days rest instead of Jameson Taillon. Cortes responded by going five innings on just 61 pitches, allowing only one run on a sacrifice fly from Jose Ramirez in the third inning. The Yankees turned the ball over to Jonathan Loaisiga, Clay Holmes and Wandy Peralta to lock down the final four innings. That trio allowed just five baserunners in the final four frames.
Two rainouts in this series pushed the ALDS schedule right up against the start of the ALCS, so the Yankees will not get any rest before Game 1 in Houston Wednesday night with Justin Verlander and Taillon the probable pitchers.