JUSTIN Verlander rebounded masterfully following a scuffling start to his outing and the Houston Astros bashed three home runs en route to 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).
Yuli Gurriel, Chas McCormick and Jeremy Pena slugged solo home runs for the Astros, who will play host to Game 2 in the best-of-seven series on Thursday (Friday in Manila).
Verlander (1-0) needed 66 pitches to complete three innings, 22 pitches of them in the first inning, when he stranded two baserunners.
Two batters into the second, New York’s Harrison Bader clubbed his fourth home run of the postseason, a 411-foot blast to left-center field that provided the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
Verlander allowed three of the ensuing six batters to reach base before finding his groove.
His run started with a strikeout of Josh Donaldson with Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton in scoring position in the third. Verlander then recorded a called third strike on Matt Carpenter to strand both runners and followed by striking out the side in the fourth, all swinging.
When Verlander fanned Gleyber Torres to open the fifth, it marked his sixth consecutive strikeout. He struck out Donaldson and Carpenter again to close the sixth and cap his 11-strikeout night.
Verlander allowed one run on three hits and one walk while increasing his career postseason strikeout total to 219 — the most in major league history. The 39-year-old veteran passed Clayton Kershaw’s total of 213 postseason K’s.
In the other game, Brandon Drury hit a two-run, two-out, tiebreaking single and Josh Bell followed with an RBI single in the Padres’ five-run fifth inning as San Diego rallied from a four-run deficit to defeat visiting Philadelphia 8-5 and even the best-of-seven National League Championship Series at a win apiece.
Drury and Bell earlier hit homers on back-to-back, second-inning pitches from Phillies starter Aaron Nola (2-1) to put the Padres on the board after Philadelphia took a 4-0 lead in the top of the second off Padres’ starter Blake Snell (2-0).
