The Astros are up 3-1 in the ALCS. They have won both games in Yankee Stadium. Zack Greinke was good to pretty good. The Astros got some big hits. Game 5 is tonight at 6:08pm Central.
*FanGraphs has the Astros at 88.3-11.7 to win the Series, though FanGraphs gives the Yankees at 51-49 edge for Game 5. FiveThirtyEight says it's 90-10 Astros, with a 51-49 edge to the Astros in Game 5.
*Teams that are up 3-1 in a Championship Series have gone on to win 73 of 86 series. Most recently, the Cubs did it in the 2016 World Series.
*The Astros were 3x14 w/RISP, the Yankees were 0x8. Series total:
Astros w/RISP: 5x32
Yankees w/RISP: 6x31
Also series total, wins:
Astros: 3
Yankees: 1
Aaron Boone:
We played poorly tonight, there's no other to explain it. And we need to flush this immediately.
*Altuve:
We're not thinking about the World Series yet, because we're playing against one of the best teams in the big leagues.
*Zack Greinke: 4.1IP, 3H/1ER, 5K:4BB. Robinson Chirinos took responsibility for a couple of those walks in the 1st inning.
*In 3.2IP thrown by relievers not named Josh James (Pressly, Harris, Smith, Osuna): 0H/0ER, 6K:2BB. Pressly:
It doesn't get any better than pitching in the Bronx in the postseason. This is what you dream of as a kid.
*Carlos Correa:
I think it's disrespectful that every time we score a lot of runs, people talk about tipping. Nobody was tipping today and we scored, what, eight runs? We're great hitters. We've been doing it for a whole season.
Correa is the youngest player to hit 10 postseason home runs, doing it quicker than Albert Pujols. His home run had a launch angle of 17 degrees. Our dude Daren Willman notes that only 0.8% of home runs were hit at 18 degrees or lower. Correa, on what he told Ryan Pressly before he took the mound:
This is your moment. I remember when we were in the training room both rehabbing at the same time. This is the moment we worked really hard for, for moments like this, for moments for you to shine and give us a chance to win the ballgame.
*Springer, who hit his 13th postseason home run, going ahead of Altuve by one:
To get out of the first inning with only one I think was absolutely huge for us, and then to come back and score off a really, really tough pitcher, a guy that doesn't give up runs at all in the playoffs. He's been unbelievable throughout his career.
*It's the sixth time that Springer and Correa have both homered in the same postseason game.
*Hinch, post-game:
When the game ends and we go into the next game, I love the fact that we have JV on our side. And he's going to set a tone tomorrow that hopefully leads us to the World Series.
*A win tonight means that the Astros would have three full days of rest before Game 1 of the World Series, Cole would start Game 1 and Verlander would start Game 2 on normal rest. Osuna:
It means a lot, especially because we would get a couple of days off. Gerrit Cole would be able to get ready for Game 1...We're going to work to get this done [tonight].
*Pour one out for CC Sabathia.
*Yankees fans, 84% of whom have a sexually-transmitted disease, taunted Zack Greinke about his mother, and his battles with anxiety and depression. Aaron Boone had to record a video for the Jumbotron asking Yankeefan to not throw their literal crap on the field.
*Luhnow said that allegations the Astros are cheating are "ludicrous."
*Tim Brown: Yankee Stadium in October is no match for these Astros.
*Bench coach Joe Espada apparently had a really good interview for the Cubs gig.
*A Musical Selection:
We didn't come out here to play tiddlywinks, son.
-Hal Smith
