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Groton Daily Independent
Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017 ~ Vol. 25 - No. 102 ~ 55 of 63
“When you play at home, things like this happen and that’s why it’s so tough to win on the road in the playoffs,” Keuchel said. “New York is no joke. Yankee Stadium is a tough place to play and it was rockin’ these three games, but it’s going to be rockin’ on Friday for us.”
Sanchez hit his third postseason homer off Brad Peacock in the seventh to make it 5-0.
Despite beautiful weather in the Bronx, the Astros didn’t take batting practice on the eld. If they were hoping that might help their slumping hitters reset, it didn’t.
The highest-scoring team in the majors this season, Houston is batting .147 in the series and Tanaka is a major reason. The normally reserved right-hander from Japan, who can opt out of his $155 million contract this winter, has been at the top of his game in October and showed rare emotion on the mound during this one.
He worked around a leadoff double in the second, when the Yankees — with a stingy Keuchel undoubtedly in mind — successfully played their in eld in with Yuli Gurriel on third and one out in a scoreless game. Tanaka later spun around and shouted in excitement after striking out struggling table-setters George Springer and Josh Reddick with two on to end the fth.
Tanaka received treatment on his leg between starts after being struck by Reddick’s liner in Game 1, but showed no ill effects. Keeping the ball down with his slider and splitter, he struck out eight and walked one.
Tommy Kahnle tossed two innings to nish the four-hitter.
Tanaka also beat the Indians 1-0 in the Division Series to save the Yankees’ season when they were down 0-2 in that best-of- ve playoff.
“I feel like I’m just keeping it really simple,” Tanaka said through a translator. “You go out there and you ght and you empty the tank.”
TIES THAT BIND
Andy Pettitte threw out the ceremonial rst pitch in a Yankees jacket. The former New York and Houston left-hander appeared in the World Series for both the Yankees and his hometown Astros.
MISTER OCTOBER
Wednesday marked the 40th anniversary of Reggie Jackson’s three-homer game at old Yankee Stadium in the 1977 World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
COMING UP EMPTY
The lowest team batting average in league championship series history was .155 for Minnesota during a three-game sweep by Baltimore in 1969.
UP NEXT
Astros: Verlander is 8-0 in eight outings for Houston since agreeing to a trade from Detroit, just minutes before the Aug. 31 deadline for postseason eligibility. The 2011 AL MVP is 3-0 with a 2.04 ERA in these playoffs, including a series-clinching victory in relief during the Division Series against Boston and his ve- hitter to beat the Yankees on a season-high 124 pitches in Game 2. The right-hander is 10-5 with a 3.18 ERA in his postseason career.
Yankees: Severino gave up one run and two hits over four innings in Game 2 but was pulled as a pre- caution after only 62 pitches because Girardi was concerned about the 23-year-old righty pitching hurt, saying he didn’t look comfortable in his mechanics. Girardi said Severino didn’t require any tests and, by now, the Yankees are con dent he’s ne. “I feel good about where he’s at,” Girardi said Wednesday. “Those concerns have kind of been put to rest for me.”
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
Sessions defends Comey ring, dodges questions on Trump By ERIC TUCKER and SADIE GURMAN, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Jeff Sessions strongly defended President Donald Trump’s ring of James Comey, but at a Senate hearing Wednesday repeatedly declined to discuss private conversations with the president about the dismissal, frustrating Democratic lawmakers who wanted to link the ring of