Cortes hurt, leaves after tying 3-run HR in ALCS Game 4
NEW YORK — (AP) — Yankees All-Star pitcher Nestor Cortes left Game 4 of the AL Championship Series with a left groin injury after allowing a tying three-run homer to Houston's Jeremy Pena in the third inning on Sunday night. He struggled with his control in his first outing since beating the Guardians in Game 5, going to three-ball counts on seven of 11 batters. Cortes stayed in the game and walked Altuve, the first time the 27-year-old right-hander walked consecutive batters this year. Cortes fell behind 3-1 and left a slider up that Pena drove into the left-field seats. Boone and Lentych returned to the mound, and Cortes walked to the dugout with a glum expression as Wandy Peralta replaced him.
wftv.comAltuve poised to break out as Astros host Yankees in ALCS
The Astros hope he finds his stroke when they return to the AL Championship Series for a sixth straight year and host the New York Yankees in Game 1 Wednesday night. Sometimes, no matter how great you are, sometimes there are down times … but I’m expecting big things out of Altuve. When they’re not all clicking, they’re great.”In 17 playoff series over seven years, Altuve has hit .272 with 23 homers and 49 RBIs. But his biggest postseason home run, and perhaps one of the most memorable homers in playoff history, came against the Yankees. That was the second time the Astros beat the Yankees in the ALCS, with the first coming in 2017 when they went on to win their only World Series.
wftv.comSeattle welcomes back playoffs, M's, try to skip elimination
There was bunting draped off the railings in October and logos painted on the grass of T-Mobile Park that were absent for the past two decades when the Seattle Mariners were stuck in baseball purgatory and left as a spectator every postseason.
LEADING OFF: Yankees-Astros play 1-game series in Houston
Houston left fielder Yordan Álvarez and shortstop Jeremy Peña were hurt when they collided while running down a popup. Luis Garcia (5-5, 3.68 ERA), who beat the Yankees in his last outing, starts for Houston against Luis Severino (4-2, 3.38 ERA). Joe Musgrove (8-1, 2.12 ERA) starts for the second-place Padres against Mitch White (1-1, 4.25). Chris Archer (2-3, 3.14 ERA) starts for Minnesota against 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber (3-4, 3.07). Minnesota leads the division by two games over Cleveland after the teams split the first four games of the series.
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