What a finish!
The Houston Astros have taken a two-game lead in the American League Championship Series -- and in walkoff fashion, thanks to clutch hitting by Carlos Correa and the daredevil baserunning of Jose Altuve. Houston's 2-1 win in the bottom of the ninth Saturday electrified Minute Maid Park and backed the Yankees into a corner.
The series now moves to New York, resuming Monday.
Justin Verlander, who has now gone 8-0 since being acquired at the trade deadline, pitched the distance for Houston. He struck out 13 and scattered five hits in a 124-pitch, complete-game masterpiece.
Verlander bested Luis Severino, who yielded to Aroldis Chapman -- who in turn gave up the single to Altuve and RBI double to Correa that decided the game.
Correa, who homered in the fourth, drove in both Houston runs.
The series now moves to New York, resuming Monday.
Astros coverage can be heard throughout the postseason on Newsradio 740 KTRH's sister station, SportsTalk 790 -- the Astros' flagship station.
GAME 1 (FRIDAY): Astros 2, Yankees 1
Dallas Keuchel pitched shutout, double-digit-strikeout ball and closer Ken Giles survived a mammoth Greg Bird home run to secure the save as the Houston Astros edged the New York Yankees 2-1 in the opening game of the American League Championship Series on Friday.
The best-of-seven series, which continues Saturday afternoon at Minute Maid Park, will determine the American League pennant.
Keuchel pitched seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts, scattering four hits. Chris Devenski pitched to two batters, retiring one of them, before Giles came in for 1.2 innings of relief.
Giles surrendered a ninth-inning homer to Bird -- a towering shot by that approached the right field foul pole both in proximity and height -- but closed the game with his fourth strikeout of the night.
Run-scoring hits by Carlos Correa and Yuli Gurriel plated the Astros' lone two runs off the Yankee starter Masahiro Tanaka.
Jose Altuve continued his torrid postseason at the plate, going 3-for-4 -- to the chants of "MVP, MVP" by the sellout crowd -- with a run scored. He's now 11-for-19 in playoff action.
Marwin Gonzalez, the jack-of-all-trades who played left field for the ALCS opener, made a crucial defensive play to save a run. Playing shallow on a single to left, Gonzalez fired a one-hop throw to catcher Brian McCann to nail a Yankee runner at the plate.
"He's the most undervalued player in the game," Keuchel said in postgame comments about the pick-me-up from Gonzalez.
"For us to get Game 1 -- I couldn't ask for anything better," Keuchel said.