For the first five innings of the game, it seemed like runs were impossible to come by as Lance McCullers Jr. and Sonny Gray put up scoreless frames. However, everything unraveled for the Yankees in the sixth when David Robertson allowed two inherited runners to score.
But if this Yankees team has taught anyone anything, it’s that they work best under pressure. Trailing 4-0 into the seventh inning, the Yankees scored six unanswered runs, catapulting them to a 6-4 win and evening the series at two games apiece.
The Comeback Kids
The Yankees entered the seventh inning down 4-0, and Aaron Judge got the rally started with a solo home run off McCullers Jr. Gary Sanchez hit a SAC Fly later in the inning off reliever Chris Devenski. In the eighth, Astros closer Ken Giles allowed two inherited runners to score on a RBI groundout by Brett Gardner and a RBI double by Judge. Giles later allowed a two-run double off the bat of Sanchez.
“We’ve been in that situation a lot this year,” Judge said after the game. “We get down, but we keep fighting, keep putting out quality at-bats. We’re never out of a game with the kind of offense we have.
“I have a lot of faith in this team. They’ve got a good squad over there, up and down their rotation and their lineup, but I’ve got faith in our guys. We’ve battled through a lot this year, and we’re gonna keep fighting.”
A Puzzling Review
With one out in the fourth and with Judge on first base, Sanchez flied out to Josh Reddick, who initially threw Judge out at first. Joe Girardi challenged the call which later revealed Judge was safe. However, Judge failed to touch second base when running back to first. When play resumed and McCullers stepped off the rubber to appeal the play at second base, Judge was caught stealing to end the inning.
What’s Next?
The Yankees and Astros will meet one last time at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees attempt to take a 3-2 series lead. Teams that take a 3-2 lead in the series have gone on to win the ALCS 13 out of 16 times.
Dallas Keuchel, who threw seven scoreless innings in Game 1 at Minute Maid Park, will start Game 5 for the Astros. Keuchel has held the Yankees scoreless in 13 consecutive postseason innings. The Yankees will counter with Masahiro Tanaka, who allowed two runs in his Game 1 start. In three postseason starts, Tanaka has received one run of support.
