Yankees masters of the Astros in Game 1
Torres, Tanaka lead the way as Houston manages just 3 hits
HOUSTON — Gleyber Torres kept up his October surge with a homer and five RBIs, Masahiro Tanaka polished his playoff resume and the New York Yankees blanked the Houston Astros 7-0 Saturday night in the AL Championship Series opener.
With so much attention focused on the Astros aces, Tanaka showed he more than belonged on this stage, too. He threw one-hit ball for six innings to outpitch Zack Greinke, improving to 5-2 with a 1.32 ERA in the postseason.
Sunday N.Y. Yankees at Houston 6:08 p.m., FS1
Torres did his part in this matchup of 100-win behemoths with a go-ahead double, a solo homer, a two-run single and an RBI grounder. Moved up to third in the batting order after mashing in a sweep of Minnesota, the 22-year-old star became the youngest AL player to drive in five runs during a postseason game.
Asked whether he was surprised at all he’s been able to do at his age, Torres was direct.
“I mean, not really,” he said. “Prepare really well to be here and help my team. So now I got opportunity.”
Giancarlo Stanton and Gio Urshela also homered and right fielder Aaron Judge turned in the key play, catching a line drive and doubling Alex Bregman off first base when it was still 1-0.
“Loved our look today,” manager Aaron Boone said.
The Yankees will try to build on their early momentum when James Paxton starts against 21-game winner Justin Verlander in Game 2 on Sunday night.
Houston hardly looked like a club that led the majors with a franchise-record 107 victories. Jose Altuve, Bregman and their teammates were held to three singles.
The Astros had homered in 30 straight games — every game since Aug. 31 — and their streak was the second-longest in major league history behind a 31-game string by the Yankees this year.
Greinke, acquired at the trade deadline for these kind of moments, produced another lackluster playoff start.
“The Yankees, they can come at you in a lot of different ways,” Astros manager AJ Hinch said.
Tanaka, who won Game 1 of the ALDS, struck out four and walked one. He faced the minimum through six innings thanks to a pair of double plays. Three relievers finished up the shutout.
“Obviously the number’s there and I guess I’m flattered. But the happiest thing for me is us being able to get the W,” Tanaka said through a translator.
Torres picked up right where he left off in the division series where he hit .417 to lead the team — he batted sixth in those games, but was moved higher as Boone tinkered with his lineup to break up the team’s lefty hitters.
Torres put the Yankees out front with an RBI double in the fourth.
There was one out in the sixth when he hit a fastball from Greinke into the seats in left field. Greinke knew it was gone off the bat, and pounded his fist into his glove as soon as Torres left the batter’s box.
Torres singled in the seventh to make it 5-0. He has an RBI in all four of New York’s playoff games this year.
Stanton homered with two outs in the sixth.