HOUSTON — The Yankees didn’t come any closer to solving Justin Verlander than they did last October. But they didn’t need to.
Thanks to a group bullpen effort led by Domingo German, the Yankees survived both an early injury exit by Jordan Montgomery and Verlander’s dominance. Once Verlander had departed after eight scoreless innings, Gary Sanchez blasted a monstrous three-run, ninth-inning homer that carried the Yankees to a 4-0 victory over the Houston Astros.
The victory ended a seven-game losing streak here — including all four games of the American League Championship Series last October — and was the first time in the Yankees’ last six games at Minute Maid Park that they managed to score more than a single run.