Gleyber Torres kept up his October surge with a homer and five RBIs, Masahiro Tanaka polished his playoff resume and the New York Yankees blanked the Houston Astros 7-0 Saturday night in the AL Championship Series opener.
With so much attention focused on the Astros aces, Tanaka showed he more than belonged on this stage, too. He threw one-hit ball for six innings to outpitch Zack Greinke, improving to 5-2 with a 1.32 ERA in the postseason.
Torres did his part in this matchup of 100-win behemoths with a go-ahead double, a solo homer, a two-run single and an RBI grounder. Moved up to third in the batting order after mashing in a sweep of Minnesota, the 22-year-old star became the youngest AL player to drive in five runs during a postseason game.
New York Yankees starting pitcher Masahiro Tanaka throws against the Houston Astros during the first inning in Game 1 of baseball's American League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoEric Gay)
Giancarlo Stanton and Gio Urshela also homered and right fielder Aaron Judge turned in the key play, catching a line drive and doubling Alex Bregman off first base.
The Yankees will try to build on their early momentum when James Paxton starts against 21-game winner Justin Verlander in Game 2 on Sunday night.
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Houston Astros starting pitcher Zack Greinke reacts after giving up a home run to New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton during the sixth inning in Game 1 of baseball's American League Championship Series Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoMatt Slocum)
New York Yankees' Gleyber Torres celebrates after a run home run during the sixth inning in Game 1 of baseball's American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in Houston. (AP PhotoSue Ogrocki)