Bronx, NY: Astros ace pitcher, Gerrit Cole pitched seven shut out innings to hold the powerful Yankee offense to only four hits before departing in the seventh inning. Though Cole was not as sharp as he normally is (2-0, 0.57 this post season) as he walked five batters and that’s two more than his average this season. He put five men on base and only gave up four hits. However, every hole he got himself into he was able to pitch himself out. He definitely proved the quality pitcher that he is, reaffirming the belief that he is the best pitcher in baseball,
So once again the old debate holds true, “good pitching will always overcome good hitting.” The Yankees with only four hits did have many good opportunities to score. In the first inning they had bases loaded and could not score. This pattern of stranding players in scoring positions was happening so frequently that it was beginning to frustrate fans. I heard the following phrase several times walking through the stadium, “I can not believe this!”
The major Yankee power bats were seriously missing in this game three while the Astros started their assault early on Yankee starter, Luis Severino who gave up homeruns to José Altuve and Josh Reddick. If not for the consistent hitting of Gleybar Torres who scored the Yankees only run with a solo home run in the eighth inning the Yankees would have been shut out and that would be even worst than losing 4-1.
The Yankees losing game three, their first at home might bring back bad memories of 2018, but I am sure that the Yankees are regrouping. As Aaron Judge said in a post game interview, “I think it’s just us regrouping and getting back to stay in our zone. That’s all we need to do.”
The sell out crowd of 48,998 did not sound like a large crowd as they were literally silenced throughout the game, but that will hopefully change for game four tonight (if it does not rain).
