Houston Astros Take 1-0 ALCS Lead with 4-2 Game 1 Win Over New York Yankees

The New York Yankees' struggles against the Houston Astros continued Wednesday night, dropping game one of the American League Championship Series to Houston 4-2. Justin Verlander picked up his 15th career postseason win. The Astros take a 1-0 ALCS lead, with game two being played in Houston Thursday night.

The New York Yankees went 2-5 against the Houston Astros in the 2022 Major League Baseball regular season. They're now 0-1 against the Astros in the 2022 postseason.

The Astros handed the Yankees another loss Wednesday night, as Justin Verlander picked up his 15th career postseason win in the Astros' 4-2 victory.

Verlander allowed one run off a Harrison Bader home run, three hits and one walk over six innings, striking out 11. It was a bounce-back performance from what may have been Verlander's worst postseason start of his career, when he allowed six runs over four innings last week to the Seattle Mariners in game one of the American League Division Series.

Bader's second inning homer gave the Yankees a 1-0 lead.

Martin Maldonado doubled home Chas McCormick in the inning's bottom half to tie the game 1-1.

Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon allowed just one run over 4.1 innings, but after giving up a double in the fifth inning to Jeremy Pena, was pulled from the game at 67 pitches by Yankees manager Aaron Boone.

Clarke Schmidt replaced Taillon. After intentionally walking Yordan Alvarez and then walking Alex Bregman, Schmidt was able to get Kyle Tucker to ground into an inning-ending double play.

In the bottom of the sixth, Schmidt gave up a pair of solo home runs to Yuli Gurriel and Chas McCormick, giving the Astros a 3-1 lead.

Frankie Montas made his Yankees postseason debut, pitching in relief in the seventh inning. Jeremy Pena hit his second home run of the postseason off Montas, increasing the Astros lead to 4-1.

The Yankees would get one run back in the eighth, thanks to an Anthony Rizzo solo shot, but were unable to comeback, dropping game one of the ALCS 4-2.

The Astros lead 1-0 with game two being played in Houston Thursday night.

The Yankees have lost three straight postseason series to the Astros since 2015. The Astros have beaten the Yankees twice in the ALCS since 2015, ending the Yankees' season in 2017 and 2019.