YANKEES DEFEAT INDIANS 5-2, WILL FACE ASTROS IN ALCS
New York wins 5-2, advances to ALCS against Houston.
Didi Gregorius, following in the October footprints left by Derek Jeter, homered twice off Corey Kluber as the New York Yankees beat the host Cleveland Indians 5-2 in Game 5 on Wednesday night to complete their comeback from a 2-0 deficit in the Division Series and dethrone the AL champions.
These bend-but-don’t break Yankees staved off elimination for the fourth time in this postseason and advanced to play the Houston Astros in the AL Championship Series starting Friday at Minute Maid Park.
The AL West champion Astros, led by 5-foot-6 second-base dynamo and MVP candidate Jose Altuve, went 5-2 against the wild-card winners this season.
After winning twice in New York, the Yankees — with little offensive help from rookie star Aaron Judge — came into Progressive Field and finished off the Indians, who won 102 games during the regular season, ripped off a historic 22-game streak and were favored to get back to the World Series after losing in seven games a year ago to the Chicago Cubs.
Cleveland’s Series drought turns 70 next year — baseball’s longest dry spell.
Astros: Manager A.J. Hinch said Dallas Keuchel will start Game 1 of the ALCS on Friday night and Justin Verlander will take the mound Saturday.
With the Yankees’ win, the series will start in Houston.
“Keuchel and Verlander are going to go one and two in that order,” Hinch said. “I don’t really care who we’re facing, it’s going to be that order. Then after that is where it gets a little thought-provoking, I guess.”
Angels: Right-handed reliever Felix Pena was acquired from the Cubs for cash or a player to be named. Pena had a 4.98 ERA in 36 appearances with the Cubs the past two seasons.
Rangers: Infielders Phil Gosselin and Will Middlebrooks are free agents after declining outright assignments to Triple-A Round Rock. Gosselin, acquired from Pittsburgh on a waiver claim Aug. 12, hit .125 in 12 games. Middlebrooks led Round Rock with 23 homers and 64 RBIs before being called up by the Rangers on Sept. 1, and then hit .211 in 22 games.
Cubs: A man who was left blind in one eye — at least temporarily — and may ultimately lose the eye after a foul ball struck him in the face at Wrigley Field in an Aug. 29 game against the Pirates filed a lawsuit against the Cubs and MLB, alleging they failed to install enough safety netting to protect him and other fans.
John “Jay” Loos, 60, said he has undergone three surgeries to repair his damaged left eye and the five bones in his face shattered by the foul ball that struck him as he sat down the first-base line.
Noteworthy: Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani, 23, will have right ankle surgery today. The reigning Pacific League MVP, in his fifth season with the Nippon Ham Fighters, is prized as both a pitcher and hitter. He is likely to leave Japan and sign with an MLB team through the posting system in the offseason.