Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Astros take 2-0 lead over Yankees in ALCS.

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With each stinging line drive, Jose Altuve is putting his stamp on this October. Same with every pitch from Justin Verlander, no matter the inning or score.

Houston’s longest tenured player and its durable new ace — an incomparab­le pair so far this postseason.

Altuve raced home on Carlos Correa’s double in the ninth inning, Verlander struck out 13 in a complete game and the host Astros beat the New York Yankees, 2-1, Saturday for a 2-0 lead in the AL Championsh­ip Series.

Correa also homered , but Houston needed a daring dash from the 5-foot-6 Altuve to get Verlander a win. Altuve, an AL MVP front-runner, reached with a one-out single against closer Aroldis Chapman, then sprinted around from first base on Correa’s shot to right-center field. Shortstop Didi Gregorius’ relay beat Altuve to the plate, but catcher Gary Sanchez misplayed a short-hop, allowing Houston’s dynamo second baseman to slide past safely.

“When I saw him running I was like, ‘Oh God,’ ” Correa said. “And then obviously he beat it out.”

Altuve had two more hits and is 13 for 23 (.565) this postseason after hitting just 4 for 26 (.154) in the 2015 playoffs.

“He’s unbelievab­le,” Verlander said. “The guy does everything.”

Verlander improved to 8-0 in eight appearance­s with Houston since agreeing to an Aug. 31 trade from the Tigers, including his Game 4 win in relief during a Division Series against Boston. He has a 2.04 ERA over a postseason-leading 172⁄3 innings.

“When I decided to say yes, these are the moments that you envision,” Verlander said of agreeing to the trade. “You don’t envision going 5-0 in the regular season once you get here; that’s all fine and great, but that’s not why I was brought here. I was brought here to help this team win a championsh­ip.”

Verlander set a postseason career best for strikeouts and allowed five hits in his second career complete game in the playoffs. He threw a season-high 124 pitches and retired baby Bronx Bombers Aaron Judge, Sanchez and Greg Bird in the top of the ninth.

“This is such a big moment for our team, but he put us on his back today with his pitching,” manager A.J. Hinch said.

Dallas Keuchel won Game 1 for the Astros — also 2-1 — pairing with Verlander to give the Astros perhaps the best 1-2 punch in these playoffs.

“That was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in my profession­al career for sure,” Keuchel said. “But that’s why we got him — for his postseason pedigree.”

In the bottom of the ninth, Judge picked up Correa’s hit in right field and threw toward second base. Gregorius fielded there, and his throw beat Altuve to the plate by a few steps. Sanchez just couldn’t squeeze the onehopper.

“That’s a play I’m used to making,” Sanchez said through a translator. “Really thought I had a chance at making that play there. Unfortunat­ely I dropped the ball and couldn’t make that play.”

The Astros mobbed Correa in shallow center field while Altuve pointed and smiled from near home plate.

Houston took its first ever 2-0 lead in a Championsh­ip Series in front of a crowd of 43,193 which included Houston Rockets stars James Harden, Chris Paul and Trevor Ariza in front-row seats. Minute Maid Park buzzed throughout, and fans let out huge cheer when Hinch sent Verlander back out to pitch the ninth.

“No words were necessary,” Verlander said. “It was my game to win or lose.”

Verlander got the first complete game by any pitcher this relieverhe­avy postseason and his first nine-inning outing since his Tigers beat the Astros 3-2 on July 30, 2016. This was the seventh time Verlander had 10 or more strikeouts in the postseason, extending his major league record, and his seventh postseason game with 120 pitches or more.

The unshakable righthande­r struck out the side in the eighth, and television shots showed fiancée Kate Upton in a pink sequined shirt cheering and clapping wildly as he walked off.

Verlander, Keuchel and two relievers have combined to strike out 27 Yankees in the series.

“They’re making pitches on these kids,” New York manager Joe Girardi said. “And maybe are they trying a little bit too hard? Yeah, of course. But I think everyone out there’s probably trying a little bit too hard.”

Correa’s homer in the fourth off starter Luis Severino sailed just out of reach of Judge and 12year-old Carson Riley, who was sitting in the front row in right field. The ball bounced off Riley’s glove and into the stands, and Girardi asked for a video review to check for fan interferen­ce. Umpires upheld the call.

Riley hopes to get the ball signed by Correa and called the moment: “A really cool one.”

It was reminiscen­t of a homer by Derek Jeter in Game 1 of the 1996 ALCS between the Yankees and Orioles. A 12-year-old Jeffrey Maier reached out and deflected Jeter’s hit into the stands, but umpires ruled it a home run.

The 23-year-old Correa is the fifth player ever with five home runs in the postseason before turning 24.

Todd Frazier drove in New York’s run with a ground-rule double in the fifth when his shot to leftcenter got stuck in the chain-link fence protecting the visitors’ bullpen. Center fielder George Springer tossed his glove in the air several times attempting to knock the ball loose, but never got close.

Severino allowed two hits and a run in four innings. He was hit by a comebacker from Yuli Gurriel on the last out of the fourth, and Girardi said they lifted him as a precaution.

Tommy Kahnle and David Robertson threw two scoreless innings each for New York before Chapman allowed his first run in 182⁄3 innings.

Quintana gets the nod: Jose Quintana was the Chicago Cubs’ starting pitcher for the NL Championsh­ip Series opener in Los Angeles even after his wife was forced off the team’s chartered jet a day earlier due to a medical issue.

Quintana stayed in Albuquerqu­e on Friday with his wife, Michel, who fell ill during the Cubs’ crosscount­ry flight after eliminatin­g Washington on Thursday, Cubs manager Joe Maddon said before Game 1 on Saturday against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The game ended too late for this edition.

Quintana’s agent told USA Today that Michel Quintana had an irregular heartbeat. The team plane had to stop in New Mexico, forcing the Cubs to spend 10 hours in transit — including five hours on the ground to change pilots in Albuquerqu­e, where they couldn’t leave the plane because of security rules.

“Nobody complained,” Maddon said. “It was an empathic moment. Everybody understood what’s going on. As a human being, you’re concerned for other human beings, so I thought our guys were wonderful the way we handled the entire situation.”

Quintana’s wife is feeling better, and the lefthander caught up with his teammates in LA on Friday night.

 ?? ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Astros starter Justin Verlander reacts after striking out the side during the eighth inning Saturday.
ASSOCIATED PRESS Astros starter Justin Verlander reacts after striking out the side during the eighth inning Saturday.

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