Astros lose homefield advantage as bats go silent in ALCS Game 1 loss
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The Houston Astros took on the New York Yankees Saturday Night at Minute Maid Park for ALCS Game 1, losing 7-0.
New York leads the best-of-seven series 1-0, seizing homefield advantage.
WATCH: "He was just really, really good tonight." A.J. Hinch reflects on how Masahiro Tanaka led the Yankees to a win over the Astros
ALCS Game 2 will take place Sunday at Minute Maid Park, with first pitch scheduled for 7:08 p.m.
With a hard-fought American League Division Series behind them, the Astros look to the next phase of taking back their World Series championship.
SEE ALSO: What you missed after ALDS Game 5 as the Astros celebrated win with their families
The 'Stros went back to work Saturday for Game 1 of the American League Championship Series, against a team considered one of the best clubs in MLB this season, the New York Yankees.
WATCH: "We still have a lot of baseball to play." José Altuve reflects on similar situation in 2017
That's right. It's a rematch of the 2017 ALCS, in which the Astros came back from a 2-3 series deficit to win the pennant and a spot in the World Series.
Here are the things you should know about the rematch:
GAME DETAILS
The Astros hold homefield advantage in this ALCS. This is their third straight trip to the championship round. So, the first two games will be played at Minute Maid Park. If the series goes the distance, four of the seven games are being played at the "Juice Box."
Zack Greinke was the starting pitcher for the opening contest of the series. Justin Verlander is slated to be the starting pitcher in Game 2. Gerrit Cole, who essentially saved the Astros' season in the ALDS, gets the nod in Game 3 when the series heads to New York.
WATCH: "It's one game. We've got a lot more games left to go." Alex Bregman confident in Verlander for ALCS Game 2
Manager A.J. Hinch has not yet named a starting pitcher for Game 4.
NEW YORK YANKEES INFO
The Yankees are the AL East champions, having won 103 games, just behind Houston's league-best 107 wins.
Unlike 2017, the Yankees didn't have to play a Wild Card Game or come back from an 0-2 ALDS deficit to advance. New York dominated the Minnesota Twins in a three-game sweep this time around.
Masahiro Tanaka was New York's starting pitcher in Game 1. Lefty pitcher James Paxton gets the ball in Game 2. Luis Severino is the starter in Game 3.
In seven 2019 regular season games between the two ALCS combatants, the Astros gained the advantage, winning four of the contests.
The Astros have another feather in their caps against the Yankees. This season marked the first home sweep of the "Bronx Bombers" in franchise history. Keep in mind, the home team won every game of the 2017 ALCS.
WATCH: AJ Hinch wishes Astros were playing Yankees day after ALDS
What has changed about the Yankees since the championship series two years ago? Let's start in the dugout, where New York is led by manager Aaron Boone, who replaced Joe Girardi after the Yanks' elimination in 2017.
New York also added former National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton, who has been relatively quiet during his tenure so far with the Yankees. He is a weapon, though, capable of home runs out of nowhere.
But, the most important thing to know about the Yankees this season is that the club was still able to be exceedingly competitive despite a rash of injuries with both position players and pitchers.
ALCS SCHEDULE
- Game 1: Yankees @ Astros, Saturday, Oct. 12, 7:08 p.m.
- Game 2: Yankees @ Astros, Sunday, Oct. 13, 7 p.m.
- Game 3: Astros @ Yankees, Tuesday, Oct. 15, Time TBD
- Game 4: Astros @ Yankees, Wednesday, Oct. 16, Time TBD
The following games will be played if they are necessary:
- Game 5: Astros @ Yankees, Thursday, Oct. 17, Time TBD
- Game 6: Yankees @ Astros, Saturday, Oct. 19, Time TBD
- Game 7: Yankees @ Astros, Sunday, Oct. 20, Time TBD
Our partners at CultureMap put together a list of the best places in town to watch the Astros games, if you can't make it to Minute Maid. View the full list here.
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Surprising salaries of the Houston Astros
