{"id":105258,"date":"2022-10-23T02:36:14","date_gmt":"2022-10-23T02:36:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/astros-beat-lifeless-yankees-in-game-3-one-win-away-from-world-series\/"},"modified":"2022-10-23T02:36:14","modified_gmt":"2022-10-23T02:36:14","slug":"astros-beat-lifeless-yankees-in-game-3-one-win-away-from-world-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/astros-beat-lifeless-yankees-in-game-3-one-win-away-from-world-series\/","title":{"rendered":"Astros beat lifeless Yankees in Game 3, one win away from World Series"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em__fp gnt_em_vp__tp gnt_em__el\" aria-label=\"Video - Bad blood and bad history: Everything you need to know for Yankees-Astros ALCS\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">NEW YORK \u2014 The matchup the New York Yankees \u2013 or at least their fans \u2013 pined for has turned into an overmatch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">A Yankees season defined by sublime numbers \u2013 99 wins, 62 home runs, a record 18th trip to the American League Championship Series \u2013 is just nine innings from a quiet vanquishing at the hands of their tormenters.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">And as the Houston Astros get further from a championship won in part by illicit means while continuing to dominate the AL, it is getting harder for even the angryest fan to deny them their due.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">The Astros are perfect in this postseason, and in Game 3 of this ALCS Saturday, seized upon the foibles of their very imperfect opponent to churn out a 5-0 victory at Yankee Stadium that gave them a commanding 3-0 series lead.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">They moved within one win of consecutive World Series appearances and their fourth in six seasons thanks to a familiar victory formula.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\"><strong>Follow every game:<\/strong> Live MLB Scores<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Precision pitching, this time from Cristian Javier, who the Astros largely stashed away for this very moment, kept quiet a Yankees lineup that&#8217;s batted .161 this postseason and scored just four runs in three ALCS games.  Saturday, they managed just three hits.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Opportunistic hitting from a deep lineup, this time a two-run homer from No.  9 hitter Chas McCormick after a two-out dropped fly ball by Yankees center fielder Harrison Bader, staked Javier to more runs than he&#8217;d need.  A two-run single from No.  8 hitter Christian Vazquez \u2013 a catcher making his first ALCS start \u2013 capped a three-run sixth inning rally.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">And the attention to detail throughout \u2013 Vazquez&#8217;s perfect catch-and-release to nail Bader on a fifth-inning steal attempt, Yuli Gurriel tagging up from first on a fly to left, enabling him to score on Vazquez&#8217;s single \u2013 were all part of a nine-inning clinical dissection.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_anc\" id=\"gnt_atomsnc\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-method=\"loadAnc\" aria-label=\"Newsletter signup form\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Now, the Astros are 6-0 in this postseason.  Sunday, they will send seasoned playoff arm Lance McCullers Jr.  to the mound to nail down another pennant.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">And in a way, it&#8217;s an appropriate choice.  Five years ago, McCullers notched one of the most impressive postseason saves in baseball history, pitching four innings of one-hit relief to beat the Yankees 4-0 in Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS, kick-starting this run of pennants and propelling the Astros into a World Series they&#8217;d win in seven games.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_fo__bet-best\" aria-label=\"Scores and odds from Tipico\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-type=\"comment\"><!--@pre<iframe class=gnt_em_fo_if src=\"\/tangfrag\/sports\/gaming\/bet-best?prm-embedded&prm-teamid=26&prm-gnteamid=2981&prm-league=MLB#fhp-assetid=10578280002\" loading=lazy sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-popups allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-forms\" title=\"Scores and odds from Tipico\"><\/iframe>--><\/aside>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">But the illegal sign-stealing that occurred throughout that season and revealed in 2019 cast a pall over that title and stuck to the Astros throughout their dominance since.  Yankee Stadium, in particular, has been particularly hard, the home folks feeling their boys were cheated out of the &#8217;17 pennant, and the Astros have caught endless grief here the past two years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Yet it&#8217;s been such an ugly postseason for the Yankees that, by the second inning, they&#8217;d forgotten to boo Jose Altuve.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Simply, they were too shocked.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"gnt_em gnt_em_img\"><\/figure>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Moments earlier, Bader called off 6-7 right fielder Aaron Judge on Vazquez&#8217;s easy two-out fly to right \u2013 and Bader dropped it.  Ace Gerrit Cole would have to bull through another batter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">And McCormick would make the Yankees pay for the transgression, pasting a 98-mph fastball the opposite way and over the 314 sign in right field, the short porch that&#8217;s often the Yankees&#8217; friend suddenly their downfall.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">It was 2-0 Astros, and it kind of felt like 20-0.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">cole?  He was as good as usual, which is to say he yielded a hurtful home run but also would have been working on a four-hit shutout in the sixth were it not for Bader&#8217;s botch.  Instead, two hits and a walk to start the sixth finished him, and reliever Lou Trivino gave up all the inherited runners on Trey Mancini&#8217;s sacrifice fly and Vazquez&#8217;s single.<\/p>\n<aside aria-label=\"advertisement\" class=\"gnt_m gnt_x gnt_x__lbl gnt_x__al\"\/>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Meanwhile, Javier showed few signs of inaction.  He&#8217;s pitched just six times since Sept.  7, a 46-day span that included a mere 1 \u2153 innings in the AL Division Series sweep of the Seattle Mariners.  If the Astros were stashing him for this very spot, consider it a wise gambit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">Javier did not allow a ball out of the infield until Giancarlo Stanton&#8217;s double in the fourth \u2013 the Yankees&#8217; lone hit until the ninth, as it turned out.  Per usual, he relied heavily on his fastball, though after 62-home run man Judge fouled off three consecutive heaters in the fourth, Javier simply switched up to a slider and got Judge fanning meekly at the pitch.<\/p>\n<p class=\"gnt_ar_b_p\">By the time he exited in the sixth, Yankee Stadium was quiet.  They&#8217;ll open it up one more time Sunday \u2013 perhaps if only for an enemy&#8217;s coronation.<\/p>\n<p><img class=\"gnt_em_gl_i\" data-g-r=\"lazy\" data-gl-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/10\/23\/USAT\/9bc9e5f5-1d2d-46fe-ae47-7256b7a60dae-USATSI_19282550.jpg?crop=3758,2114,x0,y191&amp;width=660&amp;height=372&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp\" data-gl-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/10\/23\/USAT\/9bc9e5f5-1d2d-46fe-ae47-7256b7a60dae-USATSI_19282550.jpg?crop=3758,2114,x0,y191&amp;width=1320&amp;height=744&amp;format=pjpg&amp;auto=webp 2x\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" width=\"660\" height=\"372\"\/><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEW YORK \u2014 The matchup the New York Yankees \u2013 or at least their fans \u2013 pined for has turned into an overmatch. A Yankees season defined by sublime numbers \u2013 99 wins, 62 home runs, a record 18th trip to the American League Championship Series \u2013 is just nine innings from a quiet vanquishing &hellip;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/astros-beat-lifeless-yankees-in-game-3-one-win-away-from-world-series\/\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Astros beat lifeless Yankees in Game 3, one win away from World Series<\/span> Read More &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101910,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/astros-vs-yankees-alcs-predictions-pitching-matchups-and-what-you-need-to-know\/","url_meta":{"origin":105258,"position":0},"title":"Astros vs.  Yankees ALCS predictions, pitching matchups and what you need to know","date":"October 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"If the National League Championship Series offers a pair of unlikely contestants staffed by a refreshing cast of stars, then the American League Championship Series will deliver something traditionalists can save. For the third time in six seasons, the Houston Astros will host the New York Yankees in this round.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":102253,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/astros-yankees-tied-early-in-alcs-game-1-as-aaron-judge-shows-off-the-glove\/","url_meta":{"origin":105258,"position":1},"title":"Astros-Yankees tied early in ALCS Game 1 as Aaron Judge shows off the glove","date":"October 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It's the American League Championship Series, which means the Houston Astros are playing. The Astros \u2014 through all the self-inflicted turmoil in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal \u2014 have reached the ALCS for the sixth straight season. For the third time in that run, they're matching up with the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":101386,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/mlbtr-poll-who-will-win-the-alcs\/","url_meta":{"origin":105258,"position":2},"title":"MLBTR Poll: Who Will Win The ALCS?","date":"October 19, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Yankees knocked off the Guardians by a 5-1 margin this evening, taking two elimination games to advance past Cleveland. New York is back in the AL Championship Series for the first time since 2019. Awaiting them tomorrow: an Astros juggernaut that has had one of the better runs of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":106180,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/astros-yankees-live-updates-play-by-play-score\/","url_meta":{"origin":105258,"position":3},"title":"Astros-Yankees live updates: Play by play, score","date":"October 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Houston Astros are one win away from the World Series after shutting out the New York Yankees 5-0 in Game 3 of the ALCS. A sweep today would secure the team its fourth American League pennant in six years. First pitch for Game 4 is scheduled for 6:07 pm\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":106930,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/jubilant-pedro-martinez-trolls-yankees-after-astros-alcs-sweep\/","url_meta":{"origin":105258,"position":4},"title":"Jubilant Pedro Martinez Trolls Yankees After Astros&#8217; ALCS Sweep","date":"October 24, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The New York Yankees have been eliminated from the playoffs, and Red Sox Nation, including Pedro Martinez, is ready to celebrate. The Bronx Bombers' World Series drought officially extended to 13 years Sunday night when the Houston Astros swept New York out of the American League Championship Series. Houston will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":103243,"url":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/can-yankees-punch-back-vs-astros-in-alcs-game-2-follow-live-as-shuffled-lineup-faces-framber-valdez\/","url_meta":{"origin":105258,"position":5},"title":"Can Yankees punch back vs.  Astros in ALCS Game 2?  Follow live as shuffled lineup faces Framber Valdez","date":"October 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It's the American League Championship Series, which means the Astros are playing. Through all the self-inflicted turmoil in the wake of the sign-stealing scandal, they have reached the ALCS for the sixth straight season. For the third time in that run, they're matching up with the New York Yankees. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Sports&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2022\/10\/22\/USAT\/381b379a-7b5d-4d85-add8-32c7eef86266-AP_ALCS_Astros_Yankees_Baseball.jpg?width=660&height=442&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105258"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=105258"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/105258\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=105258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=105258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=105258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}