AP

Yankees turn to Gerrit Cole as HR-heavy offense falters

Oct 20, 2022, 9:24 AM | Updated: 9:36 pm

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone watches play from the dugout during the ninth inning in Game 2...

New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone watches play from the dugout during the ninth inning in Game 2 of baseball's American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)

(AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)


              New York Yankees center fielder Aaron Judge (99) flys out during the eighth inning in Game 2 of baseball's American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
            
              New York Yankees center fielder Harrison Bader (22) prepares to bat during the eighth inning in Game 2 of baseball's American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Kevin M. Cox)
            
              New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone blows a bubble whilst making a pitching change during the eighth inning in Game 2 of baseball's American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022, in Houston. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki )

HOUSTON (AP) — The Yankees’ season keeps coming down to Gerrit Cole.

New York’s $324 million man will take the mound at Yankee Stadium on Saturday with New York trailing the Houston Astros 2-0 in the AL Championship Series.

He beat the Guardians in the Division Series opener and, with the Yankees trailing 2-1 in the best-of-five series, won Game 4 at Cleveland to force the series back to the Bronx. Cole was warming up in the bullpen at Yankee Stadium when New York finished off Cleveland and looked ahead to pitching at home.

“I got showered with beer and hit in the head with french fries as we got the last out,” he said. “So there’s a part of every baseball player that I think just really enjoys making the fan base happy, just enjoys making the people in the ballpark happy.”

New York’s streak of 23 postseason games with a home run ended with Thursday night’s 3-2 loss, a defeat that forced the Yankees to win at least twice at home just to extend the series to Houston. They look to Cole and Nestor Cortes on Sunday to get back to even.

“We just got to go home and get one. It starts with that,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “Certainly feel no one better than Gerrit to hand the ball to get us right back in this.”

New York’s offense has been reliant on home runs throughout the postseason, scoring 18 of 24 runs on 11 long balls. It’s no change from the season, when the Yankees drove in a major league-high 50.8% of their runs on homers — the big league average was 39.8%.

“You hate to live and die by the home run, but you’ll take ’em when you get ’em,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said.

Contact has been lacking: The Yankees are hitting .138 (9 for 65) in the two games against the Astros and have struck out 30 times to Houston’s eight, dropping New York’s batting average to .169 in seven postseason games. The Yankees have had six hits or fewer in nine straight games dating to the last two games of the regular season at Texas.

“We got to score. Swing and miss or — the idea ain’t just to touch it. You got to touch it in situations,” Boone said, “They’re about as tough as there is to score against.”

New York has thrown just 13 pitches all year when leading the Astros — all by Jameson Taillon in the second inning of Game 2. While the Astros went 5-2 against New York during the regular season, the Yankees’ only leads were on walk-off hits by Aaron Judge.

Cristian Javier or Lance McCullers Jr. is likely to start Game 3 for the Astros, seeking their fourth AL pennant in six seasons — and their third ALCS win over the Yankees in that span.

Cole, in the third season of his nine-year deal, earned his fifth All-Star selection but struggled with home runs in the second half and wound up allowing an AL-high 33. Counting the two outings against Cleveland, he has given up at least one long ball in 10 consecutive starts.

Both Guardians homers, by Steven Kwan and Josh Naylor, were solo shots — during the season Cole gave up eight two-run homers and seven three-run drives. He dominated other than the long balls, with a 2.03 ERA, 16 strikeouts and three walks.

Houston put up a crooked number against Luis Severino when Alex Bregman hit a three-run homer on a third-inning fastball he didn’t elevate enough.

“It wasn’t a terrible pitch at all,” Yankees catcher Kyle Higashioka said. “I guess in a perfect world it could be higher.”

Severino oddly cited how the exit velocity on Bregman’s homer (91.8 mph) was exceeded by Aaron Judge on an eighth-inning flyout caught by Kyle Tucker at the top of the right-field wall (106.3 mph).

“I threw a good pitch,” he said. “They hit a 91 and Judge hit a 106, and it didn’t go out.”

Judge never expected his drive to cut through the wind, not with the Minute Maid Park roof open.

“I hit it to the wrong part of the park, that’s for sure,” he said. “I was pout there for seven, eight innings on defense and so I kind of felt that wind kind of howling, so the minute I hit it, I knew kind of what the result would be.”

___

More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

AP

Associated Press

Ex-Packer Guion gets 1 year for domestic violence assault

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Former Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion was sentenced to one year in jail after pleading no contest in a domestic violence assault at his home last fall. Brown County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Walsh also ordered Guion on Tuesday to serve three years’ probation and complete a domestic […]

1 year ago

Joe Jarzynka...

Associated Press

Durant eager for Suns debut vs. Hornets after knee injury

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Kevin Durant has been through quite a bit during his 15-year NBA career — but joining a new team midway through the season is a new one for the 13-time All-Star. The 34-year-old Durant doesn’t seem all that worried. Durant makes his highly anticipated Phoenix Suns debut on Wednesday night against […]

1 year ago

FILE - Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores stands on the sideline during the second half of an N...

Associated Press

Judge: NFL coach can press discrimination claims in court

NEW YORK (AP) — NFL Coach Brian Flores can pursue some of his discrimination claims against the league and its teams in court rather than through arbitration, a judge ruled Wednesday. The written decision by Judge Valerie Caproni in Manhattan was issued months after lawyers for the league tried to get the lawsuit moved to […]

1 year ago

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Alex Stalock cools off in the first period during an NHL hockey game ...

Associated Press

Kane trade reinforces hard reality of Blackhawks rebuild

CHICAGO (AP) — After days of speculation, the harsh reality of the Chicago Blackhawks’ situation was reinforced by one move in a flurry of transactions ahead of the NHL trade deadline. Showtime is over, at least in Chicago, and a seemingly bright future is, well, way off in the distance. The reverberations of Chicago’s decision […]

1 year ago

FILE -  Yves Jean-Bart, president of the Haitian Football Federation, wearing a protective face mas...

Associated Press

Disgraced ex-Haitian soccer president announces he’s back

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haiti’s former soccer federation president whose lifetime ban from sport over sexual abuse allegations was overturned last month announced Wednesday that he is reclaiming his position. Yves Jean-Bart’s defiant announcement could lead to a standoff with FIFA, which already has appointed an emergency management committee to lead the Haitian Football Association […]

1 year ago

FILE - Green Bay Packers' Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after an NFL football game against the ...

Associated Press

Rodgers says decision on future will come ‘soon enough’

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Aaron Rodgers says he will make a decision on his future “soon enough” as the four-time MVP quarterback ponders whether to play next season and if his future remains with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, 39, discussed his future while speaking on an episode of the “Aubrey Marcus Podcast” that […]

1 year ago

Yankees turn to Gerrit Cole as HR-heavy offense falters