HOUSTON, Texas — Missed opportunities and attempting to steal outs. That about sums up the New York Yankees’ 4-2 loss to the Houston Astros in Game 1 of the ALCS. New York had Justin Verlander on the ropes with five runners reaching base in the first three innings. Yet, they enabled Verlander to get stronger on an evening where he notched 11 Ks, including six straight at one point. The Yankees would strike out 17 times, while the Astros struck out twice.
In the early going it felt like it was right there for the Yankees to pounce, as they worked Verlander and Jameson Taillon was fairly economical, considering he hadn’t started in forever.