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On Baseball: Doing It Their Way, Upstarts Outshine Star-Driven Opponents

The Yankees faced elimination at home against an upstart team and a dominant pitcher on three days’ rest. It felt like 2003, except this time at the start of the postseason, not the very end. Dallas Keuchel played the role of Josh Beckett in Tuesday’s wild-card game in the Bronx, and now the Yankees’ season is over.

The Houston Astros bounced around on the Yankee Stadium grass, surviving baseball’s knockout round with a 3-0 victory and earning a division series date with the Kansas City Royals. Those teams combined for 197 losses just three years ago, and now they will play for a spot in the American League Championship Series.