This was the collision course the Yankees knew they were on all season, but it’s turning into more of a disaster than anyone could expect.
One of the top offenses in baseball during the regular season, the Bombers were shut down in the postseason for the first time in five years by their playoff nemesis the Astros, who took a 5-0 win in Yankee Stadium.
The Yankees dropped to 0-3 in the best-of-seven game series and are once again on the brink of having their season ended short of the World Series for the 13th straight year.
The Astros have four games — two more in the Bronx — to win their fourth AL pennant in the last six years.
Only one team in the history of baseball has come back from losing the first three games of a seven-game series; the 2004 Red Sox came back to beat the Bombers. Nestor Cortes will be on the mound Sunday evening to try and prevent a sweep and extend the Yankees season to Monday.
“I acknowledge how big it is,” Cortes said before Saturday night’s game. “Obviously it’s a big situation for me and, like I said before, I’m up for the challenge. I feel like this is a win-win for me. I’m pitching in the ALCS and if we win, we have more life. So I’m just happy to be here and take advantage of the opportunity.”
Cortes is their best hope since their offense has hit the skids. Saturday was the first time the Bombers were shut out in a playoff game since Game 7 of the 2017 ALCS, by the Astros.
The Yankees led the majors in home runs, and the AL in runs scored and were second in the league in slugging and OPS. They have scored the fewest runs and have the lowest slugging percentage and OPS of the four teams still in the playoffs. They have only one more homer than the Phillies for the fewest among the final four.
Their big bats are struggling.
They got one hit-off starter, Cristian Javier, through 5.1 innings and struck out 5 times. They rallied to get the bases loaded in the eighth, but with two outs Aaron Judge grounded out to the third base to end the inning.
Judge, who hit a Yankee and AL record 62 home runs, is 5-31 with 2 homers and 12 strikeouts in the playoffs. Anthony Rizzo is 1-for-8 now with a home run in the four games of the ALCS. Giancarlo Stanton, who had the Yankees’ lone hit off Javier, is 3-for-12. Matt Carpenter made contact Saturday, snapping his streak of eight straight strikeouts in his first postseason eight at-bats. He had a single with two outs in the ninth and is 1-for-9 in this series. Josh Donaldson is 1-for-8 and Gleyber Torres is 1-for-11 after going 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts Saturday.
The Bombers pulled off 41 come-from-behind wins in the regular season and one in the AL Division Series, but the bats couldn’t help dig them out of the early 2-0 hole Cole put them in Saturday night.
Cole allowed five runs, three earned, on five hits and two walks. He struck out seven. In three previous starts against his former team, Cole had allowed just three earned runs total. The Yankees’ ace went five innings plus three batters.
In the second inning, Cole had two outs and coaxed a fairly routine fly ball out f Christian Vazquez, when Harrison Bader — seeing the 6-foot-7 Aaron Judge barreling in on him — dropped the ball. As has happened several times in the regular season after an error or mistake or delay, Cole immediately gave up a home run. Chas McCormick took advantage of the short porch in right field for a 335-foot homer to give the Astros the 2-0 lead. It was the sixth straight playoff start that Cole had allowed a homer and the 11th straight start this season he has given up at least one.
In the sixth, Alex Bregman doubled and Cole walked Kyle Tucker and Yuli Gurriel singled to load the bases.
Aaron Boone, looking for a nod from Cole, came out to get him. Cole had thrown 96 pitches.
Trey Mancini flew out to left field to bring in a run and then a Vazquez’s line drive to shallow left-center brought in two more.
