After stubbing its toe in games three through five, the Astros outscored the Yankees, 11-1 during games six and seven to advance to the World Series where the Los Angeles Dodgers await.
The Dodgers outlasted the Cubs in fives games, winning the NLCS, 4-1 to reach the finals.
Whether New York’s great pitching or Houston’s slumping bats, the Astros shook off the dry spell in games six and seven while combining for 18 hits. On Friday night at Minute Maid Park, Houston beat the Yankees, 7-1 to force game seven of the ALCS.
After viewing games three through five of the ALCS, convincing a new baseball fan that the Astros are the top offensive team in Major League Baseball, would be troubling. But for Houston, the slump ended with time to resurge in games six and seven.
Brian McCann rifled an RBI double off Luis Severino, who had not surrendered a hit in three innings, to give Houston a 1-0 lead in the fifth inning. Jose Altuve added run support with a two-run single which ended Severino’s evening.
Justin Verlander continued to be a headache on the mound. He struck out eight through seven shutout innings.
New York’s lone run came off Aaron Judge’s bat when he lifted a towering shot to left-center. Reliever Nick Peacock, who pitched after Verlander finished, gave up the homer to Judge.
Houston, unfazed by the run, went on to score four unanswered runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
Later, Altuve launched a solo shot to left field, giving the MLB batting champ three RBIs for the evening.
In game seven, Evan Gattis got his first home run of the postseason, giving the Astros all it would need, a 1-0 lead.
Altuve homered for the second consecutive night as he joined Mickey Mantle and Roberto Clemente as the only three players to homer from the three-spot in games six and seven of a championship series.
The Astros will face the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday, 7 pm in game one of the World Series at Dodger Stadium.
