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Cole shuts down Yankees as Astros take Game 3 of ALCS – Metro US

Cole shuts down Yankees as Astros take Game 3 of ALCS

Gerrit Cole. (Photo: Getty Images)
Much like the rest of Major League Baseball this season, the New York Yankees were unable to figure out Gerrit Cole on Tuesday night in the Bronx as the Houston Astros took Game 3 of the ALCS 4-1 to take a 2-1 series lead. 
 
Jose Altuve and Josh Reddick provided early home runs to pace Houston’s offense, which did just enough to give Cole the support that he needed to put the Yankees in their first series deficit of the postseason. 
 
Cole went seven innings in the hostile Yankee Stadium without allowing a single run on four hits with seven strikeouts. 
 
His stellar outing wasn’t an unexpected turn of events. It was a well-known fact that there was little room for error for Luis Severino and the Yankees.
 
Cole had been as close to untouchable as the game has ever seen. Since May 27 (including two postseason starts against the Rays in the ALDS), Cole was 18-0 with 251 strikeouts. That included an MLB record of 11-straight starts with at least 10 strikeouts. 
 
Severino did his part to keep the Yankees in it outside two early mistakes to Houston’s deep lineup, allowing two runs on five hits in 4.1 innings with six strikeouts and three walks. 
 
Altuve jumped on a first-pitch fastball with one out in the opening inning to give the Astros a 1-0 lead before Cole even took the mound. 
 
An inning later, it was Reddick who tagged Severino for a lead-off, solo shot that landed in the second deck of the right-field stands. 
 
While Cole provided one of the most imposing figures on the mound in recent postseason history for the Yankees, the Astros righty left the door open for scoring opportunities. 
 
The Yankees just didn’t take advantage. 
 
They left nine runners on through the first five innings — which included Cole walking a season-high five batters — but failed to plate a run. 
 
With two outs and the bases loaded in the first inning, Didi Gregorius grounded out on the first pitch he saw. 
 
Aaron Judge struck out with runners on first and second with two outs in the second. With identical ducks on the pond in the fourth, DJ LeMahieu flew out to center after getting a pair of hits in his first two at-bats. 
 
The fifth inning provided an almost-20-minute delay when home-plate umpire Jeff Nelson was forced to leave after being struck twice in the head by foul balls, which resulted in a concussion. 
 
With new ump Kerwin Danley behind the dish, Severino allowed a single to Michael Brantley and walked Alex Bregman with one out, which prompted Boone to call on his clean-up man in Chad Green to get out of the jam. 
 
He did just that, getting Yuli Gurriel to line out before striking out Yordan Alvarez. For Green, it was sixth and seventh runners he inherited this postseason when entering a game. None of them scored.
 
The following half-inning saw Gregorius come within three feet of giving the Yankees the lead. After Cole allowed a two-out double to Edwin Encarnacion and a walk to Gleyber Torres, the Yankees shortstop towered a fly ball to left field that was caught by Reddick with his back to the fence.
 
Houston managed to tack on two more runs in the seventh inning when Zack Britton couldn’t clean up Adam Ottavino’s mess. 
 
Ottavino left Britton with runners on first and third with no outs after a walk to George Springer, who moved to third on a hit-and-run single by Altuve. 
 
After a fielder’s choice and an intentional walk loaded the bases, Britton spiked a wild pitch past Gary Sanchez to allow a run to score. An ensuing sacrifice fly from Gurriel put the Astros 4-0. 
 
Torres finally got the Yankees on the board as soon as Cole exited, muscling an opposite-field home run off Joe Smith with one out in the eighth. But that was all they’d get as Houston went to Will Smith and Roberto Osuna to close Game 3 out.