The Houston Astros freight train will travel to the World Series in New York.
Houston swept the New York Yankees on Sunday night, winning Game 4 by a 5-5 score in a battle that went back and forth as New York tried to prolong their season.
In this year's playoffs, the Astros have not lost, winning all four games against the Yankees in the ALCS. Houston has made the World Series four times in the last two years.
The ALCS Most Valuable Player was the Astros' Jeremy Pena, who hit.353 with two home runs and four runs. He was the leader with a 1.178 OPS.
The Yankees got on the board in the bottom of the first when center fielder Harrison Bader scored from second base on a single by designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton. Yankees second baseman Gleyber Torres followed up with a bloop single to right field that fell between Tucker and the Astros center fielder, allowing the Yankees to score two runs.
The Yankees added on to their total in the second, when Isiah Kiner-Falefa scored from second base on a double by Anthony Rizzo.
The Yankees starter struck out two and allowed no runs in the first two frames. The warning signs started to flash as the third baseman started to warm up. New York's lefty started the night with a 92 mph pitch, but by the third he was down to 88 mph.
The Astros came roaring back. The Yankees manager and the team trainer went to the mound to check on the pitcher after he walked the first batter. The results did not improve. Astros second baseman Jose Altuve followed up with a walk before Cortes gave up a home run to Pena on a hanging 82.1 mph pitch, allowing the Astros to tie the score up, 3-3.
The home run was the deciding factor in the game. After the game was over, the Yankees announced that Cortes had a left groin strain.
The Astros had a hard time keeping the Yankees in check. Tucker followed up his infield single with a line drive that hit Peralta's hand.
Yuli Gurriel's single to right gave the Astros a 4-3 lead.
The Yankees scored in the 4th. After a ground ball single into center field by Bader and a ground ball single to center field by Anthony Rizzo, the Cubs tied the game at 4-4.
The Yankees took the lead in the sixth when Bader hit a home run over the left field fence on a 94.1 mph pitch.
The Yankees led for a short time.
Altuve started things off with an infield single in the seventh. New York made a critical mistake. The Yankees second baseman shoveled the ball past Kiner-Falefa into left field to allow the Astros to get a baserunner.
Instead of two outs with nobody on, Houston found itself with two runners on with no outs and Alvarez knocked in the tying run.
The game's final tally was a 5-5 tie after the Astros scored the go-ahead run in the seventh on a single by Bregman.
Houston will host the first game of the World Series on Friday. The Fall Classic was won at -180.
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