Delay plays out OK
NEW YORK — Home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson took himself out of the Astros’ Game 3 win in the American League Championship Series on Tuesday between the fourth and fifth frames. The arbiter absorbed a Yuli Gurriel foul tip off his facemask in the fourth inning, but continued calling balls and strikes and finished the inning.
Nelson could not continue after finishing Gerrit Cole’s fourth inning. Second-base umpire Kerwin Danley dashed into the clubhouse to change into proper attire to replace him. The process is apparently arduous. Seventeen minutes passed before another pitch was thrown.
The Yankees retreated to their dugout during the delay, leaving an empty field and furious fans. Astros starter Cole stewed in the dugout, seated stone-faced next to his manager. He reappeared in the fifth after almost 30 minutes between pitches.
Cole retired Aaron Judge and Brett Gardner with ease before Edwin Encarnacion laced a double down the left field ine. Gleyber Torres drew a walk, bringing up Didi Gregorius. Gregorius hunted a first-pitch fastball. The shortstop scalded it to the short porch in right field
“Every time you see one go to right in the air you think it’s a homer,” said Atros right fielder Josh Reddick.
Reddick retreated back and caught the baseball with his back against the wall. The Yankees’ most potent threat against Cole was averted.
“I was panicking to make sure I got back there quick enough to make sure it wasn’t going to get out,” Reddick said. “A huge sigh of relief when it went into my glove. But, man, it got so loud. It was crazy to see a lot of people’s reactions.”
With Game 4 on deck, eyes turn to the skies
With rain in the New York forecast thoughout Wednesday, there is some concern whether the Astros and Yankees will be able to play Game 4 of the ALCS as scheduled.
“We’re watching the forecast,” commissioner Rob Manfred said before Tuesday’s Game 3. “We’re mindful of two things. We don’t want to affect the competitive complexion of the series, and we want to be mindful of our fans. We don’t want to bring them here if we know we’re not going to be able to play.
“It’s just too early to tell what’s going to happen.”
Should there be a postponement, Game 4 would be pushed to 7:08 p.m. Thursday, with Game 5 moving to Friday at a time to be determined.
Games 6 and 7, if necessary would still be played at Minute Maid Park on Saturday and Sunday, wiping out a normal travel day.
Alvarez’s outburst welcomed by Hinch
After Yordan Alvarez smashed and snapped his bat in a bout of frustration following a strikeout in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, manager A.J. Hinch had only one question.
“Is he mad because he got out,” Hinch said, “or is he mad because he chased?”
Alvarez waved wildly over a Zack Britton’s two-strike breaking ball that went into the other batter’s box. He chased.
“I welcome that because that’s the proper feedback,” Hinch said. “I think the outward expression is sometimes welcomed. When players are sometimes too stoic, they get questioned for why they don’t show more emotion. They show emotion it’s ‘Are they handling the pressure OK?’ For me, it’s being mad for the right reasons.”
Alvarez’s strikeout was a huge second out in the eighth inning, erasing momentum a one-out walk from Alex Bregman created. He ended Game 2 with three strikeouts during an 0-for-4 showing. His bat snap was a rare outward display of emotion from the oft-stoic 22-year-old phenom. Alvarez broke his bat over his knee during a September slump, too.
“We were just talking about (the bat snap) yesterday,” said Yuli Gurriel, a fellow Cuban and one of Alvarez’s older mentors. “Just talking to him, talked about just not having to feel the frustrations like that because we’re facing very good pitching right now, it’s obviously challenging pitching. So just take the at-bat and continue on to the next at-bat.”
Alvarez has 12 strikeouts in his first 28 playoff plate appearances. He moved down to sixth in the Astros’ batting order for Game 3, but little had to do with his struggles.