Yankees knot up Astros
Baby Bomber Judge homers and gives New York a spark as it rallies from 4-0 deficit
NEW YORK — With a soaring shot headed for Monument Park, Aaron Judge got New York back on course for another memorable October.
Yankee Stadium sounds like it’s ready, too.
“That ballpark is alive,” Judge said after this latest rousing rally.
Judge ignited a comeback with a home run , then hit a tying double during a four-run eighth inning to spur the unflappable Yankees over the Houston Astros 6-4 Tuesday night and tie the AL Championship Series 2-2.
The Baby Bombers trailed 4-0 against starter Lance McCullers Jr. until Judge homered leading off the seventh. He tied it with a line drive that nearly left the park in the eighth and scored when Gary Sanchez hit a go-ahead two-run double off loser Ken Giles.
“I didn’t know what to do after I touched home plate,” Judge said. “I can’t describe it.”
The Yankees overcame three errors and have roared back from a second straight 0-2 series deficit — they beat Cleveland in the Division Series by winning three in a row to take that best-of-five matchup.
Aroldis Chapman struck out two in a perfect ninth to cap a three-hitter and get the save . Before a sellout crowd of 48,804, New York improved to 5-0 at home in the playoffs and won for the 18th time in its last 21 home games.
“Every home game has been special,” manager Joe Girardi said. “I just feel like the fans are back. And I see things that I haven’t in a while, and it reminds me a lot of when I was playing here.”
Yankee Stadium will be rocking again when Masahiro Tanaka pitches for New York against Dallas Keuchel in Game 5 Wednesday. It’s a rematch of the series opener, when Keuchel outdid the Japanese righthander in a 2-1 Astros win.
An AL MVP candidate mired in a sluggish October, Judge sparked the Yankees by chasing McCullers, who baffled the Yankees with his power breaking ball. Except for the last one. Judge launched a curveball into the netting above center field’s Monument Park for New York’s second hit.
“I thought Aaron’s home run just lit a little spark,” Girardi said.
Houston manager A.J. Hinch pulled McCullers after 81 pitches, Didi Gregorius tripled off Chris Devenski and Sanchez brought Gregorius in with a sacrifice fly.
Todd Frazier led off the eighth with a single to left, and pinch-hitter Chase Headley, in a 1-for-18 postseason slide, singled. He lost his balance stepping on first, fell en route to second, then took a step back before continuing on and getting his left hand in ahead of Jose Altuve’s tag.
“Just stumbled and stumbled and stumbled and finally went down,” Headley said. “I went from one of the best feelings of my career to one of the worst in just a matter of seconds.”
Headley was awarded second after a video review, and the ballpark boomed when crew chief Gary Cederstrom gave the signal. It got so loud that on-deck hitter Brett Gardner said he “kind of blacked out for a second.”
Gardner brought in Frazier on a groundout, and Judge came to bat with the bundled, buzzing crowd on its feet.