All rise as Judge delivers
Yankees slugger rips three-run homer to help bury Houston
NEW YORK — Back in the Bronx, the big guys delivered.
Aaron Judge electrified the capacity crowd at Yankee Stadium with a three-run homer and made a pair of sparkling catches as New York whipped the Houston Astros 8-1 on Monday night.
Houston still leads the best-of-seven AL Championship Series 2-1.
Todd Frazier hit a go-ahead, threerun homer into the short porch in right field in the second against Charlie Morton.
The 6-foot-7, 280-pound Judge entered mired in a 4-for-31 (.129) postseason slump that included one home run, four RBIs and 19 strikeouts.
He capped a five-run fourth with a laser of a drive to left field off Will Harris and robbed Yuri Gurriel and Cameron Maybin of extra-base hits.
Yankees starter CC Sabathia, almost as big at 6-foot-6 and 260, allowed three hits over six scoreless innings for his first postseason win in five years.
The Yankees stopped a sevengame ALCS losing streak dating to Sabathia’s victory over Texas in 2010.
After a pair of 2-1 losses in Houston, the Yankees led 8-0 after four innings. New York is 4-0 at home this postseason.
“The energy, the fans ... it’s great,” Sabathia said. “They’ve been bringing it every night in the playoffs and you can feed off of that.”
Houston scored on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth before postseason star Jose Altuve grounded into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded.
Sonny Gray starts Tuesday’s Game 4 for New York on 11 days’ rest, while Lance McCullers will get the ball for the Astros.
Frazier got the Yankees rolling, taking an awkward hack at a low, outside fastball and slicing it into the seats.
“That was unorthodox, but I’ll take a hundred like that,” Frazier said. “The wind was going a little crazy.”
Judge used his height and long left arm to make a leaping catch with his left shoulder slamming into the right-field wall against Yuri Gurriel starting the fourth.
“He’ll go through a wall for you,” Frazier said.
Being a rookie, Judge politely waited outside the dugout for all the veterans to descend the steps after the third out — as he always does — then capped a five-run bottom half with a laser of a line drive that just cleared the left-field wall.
Then in the fifth, he sprinted into short right for a diving backhand catch on Cameron Maybin in the fifth.
On the first chilly night of the autumn with a game-time temperature of 57, Sabathia relied on the sharp, slow slider that has helped revive the former flame-thrower’s career.
Pitching with caution to Houston’s dangerous lineup, he walked four, struck out five and pitched shutout ball for the first time in 21 career postseason starts.
During the regular season, he was 9-0 in 10 starts following Yankees’ losses.
“Smoke and mirrors,” Sabathia said.
Adam Warren followed with two hitless innings. Houston has just 15 hits over the first three games and is batting .169 in the series.
Morton was chased after 3 2/3 innings and allowed seven runs and six hits — including three infield singles, a bloop single to center, a double that Maybin allowed to fall in left and Frazier’s homer.
Frazier, a New Jersey native who grew up a Yankees fan, entered 7 for 18 against Morton with two home runs. His homer, which gave New York its first lead of the series, came off a pitch just 18 inches above the dirt, but he drove the ball 365 feet with pretty much just his left arm.
After the game, Frazier recalled sitting in the seats at old Yankee Stadium watching Jim Leyritz’s 15thinning homer beat Seattle in the 1995 playoffs.
“It’s such a cool feeling to do that,” Frazier said. “Goosebumps.”
Starting eight right-handed batters against Sabathia, Houston loaded the bases with two outs in the third on a pair of two-out walks around Alex Bregman’s single. But Carlos Correa popped out on a fastball in on his fists.
“I know he likes to get his hands extended,” Sabathia said.
Judge made a leaping catch with his left shoulder slamming into the right-field wall against Gurriel starting the fourth, prompting Sabathia to raise both arms and point to the towering outfielder with his glove.
“I don’t know what got hurt worse, the wall or him,” plate umpire Gary Cederstrom was heard to say by one of Fox’s microphones.
The Yankees broke open the game in the bottom of the fourth. Chase Headley hit a run-scoring infield single — ending an 0-for-28 slide by New York designated hitters in the postseason. Brett Gardner was hit on a leg by a pitch, loading the bases, and Harris came in and threw a wild pitch that allowed Frazier to come home from third.
“Judge did what Judge has done 50-plus times, which is hit the ball out of the ballpark when he gets a pitch to hit,” said Astros manager AJ Hinch said.
I don’t know what got hurt worse, the wall or him.” Gary Cederstrom,