NEW YORK _ Time and again, the Yankees have asked to us to relax, to chill, that they've got this American League Championship Series under control. Do you believe them now?
Their 6-4 comeback victory against the Astros in Game 4 was one for the ages and re-sets the Series to a best-of-three starting Wednesday afternoon. It still won't be easy for the Bombers, as they're about to face Houston's aces, Dallas Keuchel and Justin Verlander. But the momentum has clearly shifted in the Bombers' favor, guaranteeing a Game 6 in Minute Maid Park.
Who would've thought. Who would've give these guys a chance after trailing by four runs in the seventh inning. But the Yankees destroyed the Astros bullpen, flattening them one by one until Aaron Judge blasted the game-tying double off the left-field wall in the eighth, followed by Gary Sanchez' two-run gapper to right-center.
The Yankees spilled out from the dugout and went berserk on each other. The fans were beyond delirious, so loud and aggressive you could almost sense the Astros' panic. Instead of possibly finishing off the Bombers Wednesday, they're suddenly looking for a way to stop them.
Both teams recognized Game 4 was the Series' pivotal moment, with a liberal sprinkling of history to ratchet up the tension. The Yankees knew that of the 28 teams that had fallen behind 0-2 since the LCS went to a best-of-seven format, all but three ended up being eliminated. Not that the Bombers seemed fazed, but the odds were long, considering they'd have to face Houston's two best on consecutive nights.
Impossible? Well, the Bombers have so far proven nothing is beyond their reach. The comeback in the wild card game against the Twins and the Division Series against the Indians was proof of that. But it's one thing to claw back to a 2-2 tie in the ALCS, quite another to fall behind 3-1 and expect a miracle of biblical proportions.
That's why the vibe in the Stadium felt so much like an elimination game. The place was boisterous and loud, just as you'd expect. But the jitters were everywhere, too. No one knew what to expect from Sonny Gray, who hadn't pitched in two weeks. Or what the lineup would do following a fairly massive shake-up: Gary Sanchez was deposed as catcher, replaced by Austin Romine, and slotted for the DH spot.
The move was made for two reasons. First, Romine is the better defender and more agile behind the plate. He was better equipped to handle Gray's signature curveball and has enjoyed good synchronicity with the right-hander. Gray and Romine teamed up for a 1.45 ERA during the regular season, so Girardi had an easy time justifying the move.
The manager also made note of the way Sanchez had been "beat up" by the number of curveballs and splitters that've bounced in the dirt during the Series. Whether it was a coincidence or not, the heavy-hitting catcher has looked bad at the plate all month, sporting just a .158 average during the post-season.
The real reason for the new look lineup, though, was Girardi's simple desperation. He figured Sanchez couldn't have been any worse than the rest of the DH's who've been invisible in the postseason _ an appalling 0 for 28 before Chase Headley's infield single in the fourth inning of Game 3.
But the plan appeared to backfire, as Romine was called for catcher's interference at a critical moment in the sixth inning. After Gray walked George Springer on four pitches to start the inning. Romine's glove subsequently nicked Josh Reddick's bat, putting runners on first and second and opening the door to a bigger Astros inning.
Gray threw only one more pitch, falling behind 1-0 on Jose Altuve, before David Robertson arrived and proceeded to walk Houston's little slugger on three more pitches. The bases were loaded now and even though Robertson struck our Carlos Correa, Yuli Gurriel rapped a bases-clearing double that took the air out of the ballpark.
It almost felt like the season was over right then and there. There was a collective groan from the stands that could be heard from here to spring training. That's how daunting a task that awaited in the aftermath of a Game 4 defeat: Keuchel Wednesday with Verlander waiting for the Bombers at Minute Maid Park in a possible Game 6.
Oh it was a downer, all right. When Starlin Castro lost his balance negotiating what looked like an easy ground ball off Brian McCann's bat in the seventh inning, allowing Marwin Gonzalez to score all the way from second base, it was as if the Yankees had plunged right over the cliff.
Down 4-0, with nine outs to go, staring at a 3-1 Series deficit, the Yankees might as well booked their tickets for the long winter, no? Not quite. Not yet. At least that was their response in the seventh when Judge homered in the seventh, Didi Gregorius tripled and Sanchez registered his first RBI of the ALCS with a sacrifice fly. With the Astros lead cut in half, fingers were crossed one more time. Very, very tightly.
