Houston sends Keuchel to hill in ALCS Game 1 vs. Yankees
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Who's ready for the ALCS?
GAME DETAILS
Houston Astros pitcher Dallas Keuchel heads to the mound to start the ALCS at Minute Maid Park tonight.
The Astros have home field advantage against the Yankees. Games 1 and 2 will be played at Minute Maid Park with the roof closed.
Today's Street Fest at Minute Maid kicks off at 3 p.m. Fans can come out early to enjoy live music, food trucks, inflatables, bar games, poster-making and more.
Stadium gates open at 5 p.m., with the first pitch at 7:08 p.m. Every fan at game 1 will receive an Astros Postseason Rally towel.
During pregame ceremonies, former Astros manager and player Phil Garner will throw out the first pitch and former Astros outfielder and first base coach Jose Cruz will call out Play Ball. The Veritas group will sing the national anthem tonight.
NEW YORK YANKEES INFO
The Astros have already won blow-outs and close contests so far in the 2017 postseason. In order to earn a trip back to the World Series, their first since 2005, the Astros will have to get past a ballclub that has won 40 American League pennants.
The New York Yankees completed their comeback Wednesday night, defeating the AL regular season leaders Cleveland Indians in Game 5. New York was down 0-2 in the five-game series, but avoided elimination three times.
Counting the AL Wild Card game, the Yankees have survived elimination in four games.
The Astros and the Yankees have played each other in seven games in the regular season. The Astros took five of those matchups, including a comeback victory at home on July 1.
RELATED: Astros rally to defeat Yankees
The two teams met one other time in the postseason during the Wild Card game in 2015. On the road, the Astros defeated the Yankees, 3-0.
This year's Yankees, affectionately nicknamed the "Baby Bombers," are a mix of young sluggers and veterans.
New York has been propelled by the home run machine, rookie Aaron Judge. While Judge has been ineffective so far in the postseason, the Yankees outfielder has a regular season batting average of .284 with 114 RBI and 52 home runs.
Houston pitchers this season have actually quelled Judge. In 17 at-bats, Judge has only hit into play four times, including just one home run. He struck out nine times in those at-bats.
Judge has been part of a close MVP race with Jose Altuve. MLB has not made the pair's height differential a secret.
The Astros will also have to contend with the Yankees pitching, which has proven to be solid in the bullpen.
ALCS SCHEDULE
Game 1: Yankees @ Astros, Friday, Oct. 13, 7:08 p.m.
Game 2: Yankees @ Astros, Saturday, Oct. 14, 3:08 p.m.
Game 3: Astros @ Yankees, Monday, Oct. 16, 7:08 p.m.
Game 4: Astros @ Yankees, Tuesday, Oct. 17
The following games will be played if they are necessary:
Game 5: Astros @ Yankees, Wednesday, Oct. 18
Game 6: Yankees @ Astros, Friday, Oct. 20
Game 7: Yankees @ Astros, Saturday, Oct. 21
WATCH PARTIES
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.
The Astros urge fans to get vouchers now for viewing parties during the team's away games. You can reserve your ticket here.
