The Astros have (surprisingly) had their way with the Yankees in the Bronx during the American League Championship Series, but the Bombers showed their mettle in Friday’s elimination game — refusing to be swept.
Houston had all the momentum, and veteran stud pitcher Justin Verlander on the mound, which set up nicely for them. Not only that, the Astros jumped out to a 1-0 lead after the top half of the first inning, which, it appeared, could have been an early cushion for JV to work off, leading to an uphill battle for the Yankees.
But that wasn’t the case — far from it.
The Yankees blasted two home runs off Verlander later that frame, as DJ LeMahieu led off with a dinger, setting the table. An Aaron Judge single and a Gleyber Torres double put two on for centerfielder Aaron Hicks, and he made the best of it. Check out this three-run moonshot, off the foul pole.
"Hicks! Hits one to the sticks!" pic.twitter.com/HGE5Nw1oK0
— John Sterling Calls (@JSterlingCalls) October 18, 2019
And the pimp job that followed the dinger.
Aaron Hicks pimped that one, lordy
(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/j7tVsDnIkY
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) October 19, 2019
The reaction from Yankees fans was electric.
AARON HICKS BRINGS OUT THE SAVAGES IN THE BRONX ‼️‼️‼️ pic.twitter.com/xopnuJlrRD
— YES Network (@YESNetwork) October 18, 2019
That pivotal swing gave the Yankees a 4-1 lead, and that ended up being the final score. Houston will now look to flamethrowing ace Gerrit Cole to close out New York at home in Game 6.
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