Winners and losers of Astros’ ALCS victory over Yankees

The Houston Astros defeated the New York Yankees in Game 7 of the ALCS on Saturday. That wrapped up a thrilling ALCS and made the Astros the first team in MLB history to win a pennant in both leagues.

They’ll face the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 World Series.

A series like that produces many winners. Unfortunately, for every winner, there’s a loser. This ALCS produced a few of those, too.

Justin Verlander made the team’s 11th hour trade a brilliant move. Jose Altuve showed why he should win the American League MVP. On the other side, Yankees like Gary Sanchez and Tommy Kahnle weren’t always bad. But they were bad at the worst possible moments. In a seven-game series, that stands out.

These are the winners and losers from the 2017 ALCS.

Winner: Justin Verlander

Short starts and relief pitching have been heavy fixtures of the 2017 postseason. But in this series, Verlander was a throwback. In Game 2, he allowed one run on five hits and one walk while striking out 13 in a complete game win. In Game 6, with the Astros facing elimination, Verlander went seven shutout innings, allowing five hits on one walk with eight strikeouts. That’s a 0.56 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 11.8 K/9 ratio scoring at home.

The Game 6 start was really something special. At times, he was simply dominant, overmatching the formidable Yankee lineup.

On other occasions, it was pure grit that won the day. Verlander pitched through traffic in the final innings of his Game 6 start.

Verlander was an ace in this series and ultimately the MVP. These outings are precisely why the Astros traded for him.

Loser: Aaron Hicks

Hicks performed well in the American League Wild Card Game against the Minnesota Twins and the ALDS against the Cleveland Indians. But his luck ran out in the ALCS.

Hicks finished the series with a .083/.154/.125 line that included eight strikeouts. The Yankees’ lineup needed depth to hang with the Astros in Houston. Hicks could have been a table setter for the bottom of the order, getting on base for hitters like Todd Frazier, Chase Headley, and even the top of the New York order once it turned over.

A performance matching his Wild Card Game or ALDS outputs could have helped put the Yankees over the top. But over these seven games, it just wasn’t happening.

Winner: Carlos Correa

The Yankees won the middle three games of this series, sweeping Games 3-5 in the Bronx. That was bad for the Astros. But because Houston won the first two games, it wasn’t disastrous. Correa had a lot to do with that two-game lead.

Correa went 3-for-7 over those first two days. He hit a home run, scored two runs, and drove in three.

Or, to put it another way, every run that the Astros scored in the first two games was driven in or scored by Correa. At this point, it’s important to remember that Houston won each of the first two games 2-1.

Without the clutch performance of the Astros’ shortstop in those first two games, it’s far more likely than not that we’d be looking at a Yankees vs. Dodgers World Series.

Loser: Gary Sanchez

Everything that happens in the playoffs falls under a microscope. It’s harsh, but it’s the realty of the situation. Sanchez had a few big games in this series. But we just can’t ignore his struggles.

In the 2-1 losses in Games 1 and 2, Sanchez was a combined 0-for-7 with one walk and five strikeouts. Trailing 2-0 in Game 6 with two men on, two outs, and up 3-0 in the count, Sanchez hit into a check swing groundout.

With a home run and five RBI, Sanchez did produce in this series. But he also fell short in some big spots where his team really could have used a big at-bat.

Winner: Jose Altuve

Part of what made this ALCS fantastic was the brilliant play of the best players in the series. New York’s right fielder Aaron Judge was good. But Altuve was just a little better.

He finished the series .320/.414/.560 with two home runs, four RBI, five runs scored and a steal. He matched all of that with spectacular play in the field.

The league MVP is a regular season award. The voting is in before the playoffs start. But Altuve’s play in the postseason has certainly vindicated what will likely be his first American League MVP award.

Loser: Tommy Kahnle

Kahnle was stellar in his first three outings. In those outings, he allowed no runs on two hits with no walks over five innings. Unfortunately for Kahnle, the fourth outing was a rough.

It started well enough for Kahnle. He relieved C.C. Sabathia in the fourth inning and induced a double play from George Springer, getting out of a jam and keeping the deficit at 1-0.

But things came unhinged in the fifth. Altuve homered. Then, after allowing singles to Correa and Yuli Gurriel, Kahnle allowed a two-run double from Brian McCann.

Houston’s bullpen was not stellar in this series. So, the Yankees could have overcome a 1-0 or even 2-0 deficit. But when that deficit moved to 4-0, it became a steep climb.

Winner: Charlie Morton and Lance McCullers Jr. 

Could the Astros win a game not started by Verlander or Dallas Keuchel? It became a pressing question after Keuchel pitched poorly in a Game 5 loss.

Morton took the ball in Game 7 and was magnificent. He went five shutout innings, surrendered only two hits, walked one, and struck out five.

McCullers took over in the sixth and, if anything, was even better.

He went four innings, allowed one hit, one walk, and struck out six to pick up the save. After Keuchel lost, Houston needed one game from someone besides Verlander or Keuchel. Morton and McCullers delivered in a magnificent way.