A Yankee clipper
Game 2 starter Verlander is 4-0 in six postseason starts against New York
For the fifth time in his career, Justin Verlander will pitch in a playoff series against the Yankees.
Is there something about pitching against baseball’s most storied franchise in the postseason that turns him into the Yankees’ scourge?
“I don’t think so,” Verlander said Saturday. “I’d like to say yes but I think I just have put together some good performances in the past.”
The veteran righthander will take the ball for the Astros against New York on Sunday night in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series at Minute Maid Park. To say he’s had his share of success is putting it mildly.
Verlander is 4-0 with a 2.33 ERA in six postseason starts against the Yankees. He’s won four consecutive playoff starts against them, including two with the Astros in the 2017 ALCS as he won series MVP honors.
In that series, he struck out 13 in nine innings of a 2-1 Astros win in Game 2 for the only complete game in MLB postseason play since 2016. He then tossed seven shutout innings in Game 6 to help the Astros force Game 7.
It’s been 13 years since Verlander made his first postseason start against the Yankees as a Detroit Tigers rookie in Game 2 of the 2006 AL Division series. He didn’t figure in the decision as the Tigers won that day at the old Yankee Stadium, but the memories remain fresh.
“That one stands out,” Verlander said. “I remember going out there the day before the start … and standing on the mound because I had never pitched there, standing on the mound because I had never pitched there … and just taking it all in, which was honestly a pretty cool experience.
“I remember Johnny Damon hitting a three-run homer off me. I remember kind of running out of gas. At that point in the year, my rookie year, I was running on fumes. I gave it everything I had. And I remember I was winning the ball game, which was important winning one in Yankee Stadium.”
Barring another start on short rest like he had in Game 4 of the division series against Tampa Bay, Verlander won’t pitch in the Bronx this round. That might suit the Astros just fine as he’s been dominant against the Yankees at home since joining the Astros in 2017. In four home starts against New York including the playoffs, Verlander is 2-0 with a 1.20 ERA and 41 strikeouts over 30 innings.
“I think he just attacks and you know what you're going to get every time out from him,” Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said. “He stays on the attack constantly. He knows what his strengths are. He knows what his weaknesses are. And he knows what the hitters' weaknesses are, as well, and he tries to exploit them.”
While Verlander has plenty of success against the Yankees, he’ll have his hands full with a stout lineup that led the American League in runs scored (943) while finishing second in home runs (306) and third in OPS (.829) this season. In sweeping the Twins in the ALDS, the Yankees scored 23 runs in three games.
The lineup includes some potent bats who weren’t on the team for the last ALCS against the Astros, including DJ LeMahieu, Gleyber Torres, Edwin Encarnacion and Giancarlo Stanton.
“I think the power — one through nine — is prodigious and we all know that,” Verlander said. “They have a bunch of different ways to hurt you. They have speed, they have guys that are really aggressive, they have guys that aren't. I mean, it's just a good mix. You have to have a unique game plan for every single guy, and you have to be able to adjust quickly, because they do, as well.”
On the other side, lefthander James Paxton will start for the Yankees. He went 1-1 with a 6.00 ERA against the Astros this season. He gave up four runs in five innings in an April loss in Houston before beating the Astros with five innings of one-run ball in New York in June.
Paxton has plenty of experience against the Astros after six seasons with AL West rival Seattle. In 14 career starts against Houston, he’s 8-4 with a 3.24 ERA and 81 strikeouts to 24 walks in 802⁄3 innings.
“Having past success against them is great,” Paxton said. “Obviously that can help build some confidence. But I'm going to have to go out there and do my thing and execute pitches. They're a really good team so I'm going to have to do what I do and not leave anything over the middle for them.
“They're really good. It's going to be a good challenge. Just got to go out there and execute pitches against them.”