ALCS: Houston Astros advance to second-ever World Series

ALCS: The Houston Astros have advanced to their second-ever World Series, their first time as a member of the American League, with a 4-0 win over the New York Yankees in game seven of the American League Championship Series.

CC Sabathia came into game seven of the ALCS against the Houston Astros with a 10-0 record in elimination games in his postseason career, making him the prime candidate to start this winner-take-all game for the New York Yankees. Things didn’t go as planned, as he left the game in the middle of the 4th inning, with the Astros starting to hit the lefty around a bit. Tommy Kahnle minimized the damage, getting two outs on just one pitch, getting Russ Springer to hit into a twin-killing.

Both pitchers — Sabathia and Charlie Morton — were “on” from the start, with Sabathia getting help from his Yankees defense in the process. Aaron Judge turned in one of the most athletic home run robbing catches that you will ever see. While on the run, the 6-foot-7 frame leaped over the right-field wall, bringing back a long ball off the bat of Yuli Gurriel. It was a near mirror of a similar play from game two, where a homer hit by Carlos Correa went just over the glove of Judge.

Evan Gattis got the scoring started in the bottom of the 4th inning with a moonshot homer to left-center, giving the Astros a 1-0 advantage. Going back to defense, in the fifth inning Astros third baseman Alex Bregman threw out Greg Bird at the plate on a do-or-die play, making a perfect scoop and pin-point accurate throw to get the out at home, mowing down the potential game-tying run.

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The Astros also continued to flash that leather in the outfield, with numerous superb plays, robbing the Yankees of extra bases on a few occasions. During the bottom half of the inning, Jose Altuve hit an opposite-field home run, which was enough for the Astros, who won the game going away 4-0, clinching the series in seven games. Morton went five innings of scoreless ball, handing things over to the Astros lock-down bullpen (i.e. Lance McCullers Jr.) who held the boys in pinstripes scoreless for the remaining four innings.

The Yankees scored 19 runs in three games at Yankee stadium, while they only managed to muster together a total of three runs in four games at Minute Maid Park in Houston. The Yankees have much to look forward to in 2018, with their starting rotation looking like a problem for opposing teams, to go with a youthful lineup with tons of upside and power. The Houston Astros make their first trip to the Fall Classic since 2005, where they lost in four straight games to the Chicago White Sox.

Next: St. Louis Cardinals: 2017 Season Review

With ALCS now in the books, the World Series kicks off this Tuesday night in sunny Southern California when the Los Angeles Dodgers host the Houston Astros at 7:30 EST in Chavez Ravine, where the Houston Astros look to win their first World Series game in team history, while the Dodgers look for their first title in 29 seasons.