Yankees force a fifth game
Luke Voit and Gleyber Torres hit impressive home runs, Jordan Montgomery and three relievers combined on a three- hitter and the Yankees beat the Rays 5- 1 on Thursday night in San Diego to force a deciding fifth game in their American League Division Series.
The Yankees bounced back from two consecutive losses against their AL East rivals to set up an expected showdown between aces Gerrit Cole of the Yanks and Tyler Glasnow of the Rays on Friday night.
Cole beat Snell 9- 3 in the series opener Monday and will be pitching on short rest for the first time in his big- league career. Manager Aaron Boone said the decision was made when he passed his ace Thursday and made eye contact.
“Hey, give me the ball,” he remembered Cole saying.
Cole said he took inspiration from watching CC Sabathia, Justin Verlander and other past aces carry teams on short rest.
“When the lights turn on, it doesn’t matter if it’s three, four, five, six, seven days,” Cole said. “It’s a special opportunity.”
Glasnow will be pitching on two days of rest after throwing 93 pitches.
Voit, who led the majors with 22 homers this season, led off the second by driving a 1- 0 pitch from Rays opener Ryan Thompson into the second deck in left field for his first career postseason shot. Torres one- upped his teammate when he deposited a two- run homer onto the balcony on the fourth floor of the Western Metal Supply Co. brick warehouse in the left- field corner, the centerpiece of the downtown ballpark.
Astros 11, Athletics 6
Carlos Correa hit a go- ahead, three- run homer after Michael Brantley’s two- run shot in the fourth inning, helping Houston defeat Oakland to clinch their home- run heavy ALDS in four games in Los Angeles.
Correa drove in five as the Astros — October villains to many a year after their sign- stealing scandal was exposed — advanced to the AL Championship Series for the fourth consecutive season.
The Astros and A’s combined for 24 homers — 12 each — the most in a postseason series of five games or fewer.