Cole's Gem Powers Astros Past Rays Into Yankees Showdown

Los Angeles, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Oct, 2019 ) :Houston pitcher Gerrit Cole tossed a post-season gem and the Astros offense exploded early to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-1 on Thursday and set up a heavyweight Major League Baseball playoff clash with the New York Yankees.

Cole, given a 4-0 cushion in the first inning, dominated the Rays through the eighth as the Astros sealed a 3-2 victory in the best-of-five American League Division Series.

Now the Astros, winners of a stunning 107 regular-season games, will take on the 103-win Yankees in the American League Championship Series with a World Series berth on the line.

Game one of the best-of-seven showdown is on Saturday in Houston.

Cole retired the first three batters he faced to open the game, notching two strikeouts.

The Astros promptly seized a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the frame when George Springer led off with a line drive single. Michael Brantley followed up with a single of his own, putting runners on the corners with no outs.

Jose Altuve then lined a single to right field to score Springer and keep runners on the corners.

Alex Bregman's double scored both Brantley and Altuve with a double to right-center, and Yuli Gurriel's hit scored Bregman.

The Rays, who had won two straight to force a deciding game five, pulled a run back with Eric Sogard's homer off Cole in the second inning.

But the Rays couldn't make any more headway and Brantley and Altuve delivered back-to-back home runs in the eighth to complete the scoring.

Houston reached the ALCS for the third straight year as they seek another World Series title to go with the one they captured in 2017.

They lost to eventual World Champions Boston in the ALCS last year.

The Yankees, who swept the Minnesota Twins in three games in their division series, are in pursuit of a record-extending 28th World Series crown.