When the Yankees and Astros met in the ALCS the last two times, the Yankees lost tough, close series.
This year, they were determined to forge a different outcome.
And now, they are perilously close to succeeding, just not in the way they’d hoped.
After two narrow losses to start the ALCS in Houston, the Yankees returned home and were outclassed by the Astros and are now on the brink of being swept out of the playoffs.
They couldn’t hit or field and Gerrit Cole was outpitched by Cristian Javier in a 5-0 loss in Game 3 in The Bronx.
It’s left the Yankees in the unenviable position of having to win four straight games- starting Sunday night, when Nestor Cortes goes up against Lance McCullers Jr in Game 4.
Cole gave up a two-run homer to Chas McCormick after a two-out error by Harrison Bader in the second.
He left with the bases loaded and no one out in the sixth and all three runs scored.
As for the offense, so inept in the first two games of the series that players were questioning their approach, it got even worse on Saturday, much to the dismay of the sold out Stadium crowd.
Javier, making his first postseason start, followed up his earlier outing at Yankee Stadium this season- when he tossed seven no-hit innings on June 25 and was dominant again.
This time, the right-hander held them hitless until Giancarlo Stanton’s double to the gap in right-center with one out in the fourth.
Five Houston relievers threw 3 ⅔ innings scoreless innings.
The 25-year-old Javier, who pitched 1 ⅓ in relief in Game 1 against the Mariners in the ALDS on Oct. 11, but hadn’t started a game since Oct. 1, tossed 5 1/3 scoreless innings after replacing McCullers Jr., who was bumped to Game 4 after suffering an injury during the Astros’ ALDS celebration.
Cole was excellent in two wins over the Guardians in the ALDS and had good stuff again Saturday, but a key mistake in the outfield burned the Yankees in the second.
With two outs, Christian Vazquez hit a fly ball to right-center that either Bader or Aaron Judge should have caught easily, but a near-collision caused Bader to drop the ball.
Vazquez, unaware the ball dropped in, started to jog across the infield, but Gleyber Torres let Bader’s relay throw get by him and Vazquez was able to scramble back to first base.
The inning extended, McCormick sent an opposite-field shot out to right that hit the top of the fence and bounced over for a two-run homer- that traveled just 335 feet- to put the Yankees in a 2-0 hole.
The Yankee offense continued to flail against Houston pitching- and Javier in particular.
Oswaldo Cabrera gave the Yankees their first chance at a base hit when he led off the bottom of the third with a liner up the middle, but shortstop Jeremy Pena was shaded directly behind second base and made a diving catch.
Stanton finally got their first hit in the fourth.
Torres followed with a foul pop and Matt Carpenter flied to center to end the “threat.”
Jose Altuve doubled with one out in the fifth, snapping an 0-for-25 start to the postseason for the second baseman, but Cole got Pena to and Alvaresz to keep it a two-run game.
Bader opened the bottom of the inning with a four-pitch walk against Javier, who then fell behind Donaldson, 3-1.
But the third baseman flied to left, Bader was caught stealing for the second out and Cabrera whiffed.
Cole gave up a leadoff double to Bregman in the sixth and walked Kyle Tucker.
Following a visit from pitching coach Matt Blake, Yuli Gurriel blooped a single down the right field line to load the bases for Trey Mancini, who had walked and belted a long fly ball to center earlier in the game.
Cole was yanked in favor of Lou Trivino after 96 pitches.
Mancini hit a sacrifice fly to left, with all three runners moving up, as the Astros increased their lead to 3-0.
Vazquez followed with a two-run single to make it 5-0, as Houston’s 7-8-9 hitters drove in five runs.
The Yankees got walks from Donaldson and Cabrera to start the bottom of the eighth, but Jose Trevino flied out- sending Donaldson to third, Rizzo lined out and Rafael Montero came in to face Judge and got him to ground out softly.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
