(Story by Marco Stoovelaar)
 Gregorius, Yankees eliminated in AL Play-Offs
Nederlands
 THE BRONX, New York City, New York (USA) -
The New York Yankees, and thus Amsterdam-born Didi Gregorius, have been eliminated in this years Play-Offs in the American League.
Playing at home in Yankee Stadium on Tuesday-evening (October 6), the Yankees lost 3-0 to the Houston Astros in the American League Wild Card Game presented by Budweiser.
With that, the Yankees were eliminated, while the Astros won the Wild Card and now will face the Kansas City Royals in the best-of-five American League Division Series.
The Astros were not expected to make the postseason, but now registered their first postseason-win since 2005 and open the ALDS on Thursday in Kansas City.
...The last game of the season has been played in Yankee Stadium...
...Next game, April 4, Opening Day 2016 vs. Houston Astros...
(© Photo: Marco Stoovelaar) |
For the Yankees, it was their first postseason appearance in three years.
And it was brief, as the team was silenced by Houston-starter Dallas Keuchel, who gave up only three hits and struckout seven batters, pitching six strong innings on only three days' rest.
Keuchel retired the side three times.
Three relievers completed the work for the Astros.
In the bottom of the ninth, closer Luke Gregerson struckout Carlos Beltran and Alex Rodriguez, then Brian McCann grounded out to end the game.
In the regular season, Keuchel was 20-8 and is a serious candidate for the Cy Young Award.
Houston took an early lead when Colby Rasmus went after the first pitch he saw in the second inning and homered off of Japanese starter Masahiro Tanaka.
In the fourth, Carlos Gomez also homered to give Houston a 2-0 lead.
Since September 12, Gomez had started only one game due to an injury.
In the seventh inning, the Astros added an insurance run when Jonathan Villar scored, thanks to a single by Jose Altuve off of reliever Dellin Betances.
Tanaka, who signed a 7-year, $155 million dollar contract with the Yankees in January 2014, walked three batters, gave up four hits and was relieved after only five innings in which he struckout two batters.
Lefthander Justin Wilson took over and pitched a scoreless sixth inning.
The Yankees got a chance to do something back in the bottom of the sixth inning off of Keuchel, who had held New York scoreless in 16 consecutive innings during the regular season.
After Keuchel had retired ten batters in a row, Didi Gregorius led off with a single.
Brett Gardner then struckout for the third time.
Moments later, Gregorius was forced out on a grounder by Chris Young.
Hereafter, Carlos Beltran singled.
With two runners on base, Alex Rodriguez was the batter, but he flied out to end the inning.
There was a historic first during this game, as Jessica Mendoza became the first female analyst to call a nationally televised Major League Baseball postseason-game, as one of the commentators for ESPN.
Jessica Mendoza won the Gold Medal with the National Softball Team of the USA on the Olympic Games in 2004 and played in the Dutch big league for Terrasvogels.
More on Jessica Mendoza's background
(October 6)
|
