Jul 31, 2019; Bronx, NY, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka (19) looks on from the dugout against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the fifth inning at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Yankees are set to play the Houston Astros tonight for Game 1 of the ALCS. A rematch from the 2017 postseason when both clubs also squared up during the ALCS – Houston taking the upper hand that year.
Both teams have announced their starting pitchers for the series:
The only question now is: can the New York Yankee starting rotation match the Astros?
Game one will be up in the air for either team to take. Playoff Tanaka is a different animal, however, Greinke has had two very good starts against the Yankee earlier in the season.
On Greinke’s end, it’s tough for any pitcher to shut down a lineup three times in a season, including playoffs. On Tanaka’s end, he’s shut down the Astro lineup both in the postseason and regular season in his career.
Game two between Paxton and Verlander will be an absolute dogfight between the two teams. These are two aces matching up one another, so it’ll most likely turn to which team can do the most damage off the other’s bullpen. Something to note, the Yankees have a significantly better bullpen in terms of numbers.
Game three will be an interesting watch. Luis Severino, which will basically be his fifth start of the season, will be squaring up against the 18-0 at home Gerrit Cole. Both power pitchers with both high swing-and-miss rates. Severino is also significantly better at home – but so is Cole on the road.
This series will most likely be a pitchers duel every game with a low score. People are saying it’s essentially the real World Series since these are the two best teams in baseball. No matter what, this will feel like the longest seven-game series on both sides.
This post was published on 2019-10-12 08:15
