Yanks' bats fall silent as Astros dominate Game 3

NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees clubhouse went silent. During the regular play -- triumph oregon nonaccomplishment -- New York ever played euphony implicit the speakers aft games.

But that signifier died connected Saturday aft the Yankees mislaid 5-0 successful Game 3 of the ALCS, putting them astatine a 3-0 shortage to the Houston Astros, facing a expanse and elimination connected Sunday.

As looming disappointment faced them quadrate successful the face, the Yankees struggled to travel up with words connected however they could travel backmost successful a bid down 3 games against an Astros squad that has not mislaid a crippled successful the 2022 playoffs truthful far.

"This isn't ideal," said Yankees archetypal baseman Anthony Rizzo. "We conscionable got to triumph tomorrow. It sucks tonight. It's gonna suck. It's gonna sting. And we conscionable got fig retired a mode to win."

New York antecedently faced elimination successful the bid against Cleveland, going down 2-1 earlier winning Game 4 and 5 to punch a summons to the ALCS.

But New York faces importantly higher obstacles trying to decision the Astros, who looked similar the amended shot squad successful each facet of Saturday's game. Houston received beardown starting pitching from Cristian Javier -- who went 5 1/3 innings, allowing nary runs connected 1 hit, 3 walks and 5 strikeouts -- and the Astros discourtesy came through, with its RBIs coming from Trey Mancini, Christian Vazquez and Chas McCormick, the bottom-three hitters successful Houston's lineup.

"We faced elimination earlier earlier this postseason and guys person faced elimination successful their careers," Harrison Bader said. "At times, things mightiness consciousness similar a upland but you know, classically speaking, giving a cliché, you can't get to the apical without starting astatine the bottom. There's a crippled time that's being played tomorrow, there's 9 innings being played tomorrow. It's conscionable a substance of taking things transportation by pitch."

History is connected Houston's side, with conscionable 1 squad successful MLB past -- the 2004 Boston Red Sox -- coming backmost from a 3-0 shortage successful a best-of-seven series. Even still, the Astros aren't booking their World Series tickets conscionable yet.

"All the guys, particularly guys who person been here, are conscionable preaching to support our ft connected the gas," said Astros pitcher Justin Verlander. "You ne'er cognize what tin happen. Playoffs is simply a comic things. Right now, we evidently person immoderate momentum, we've been playing bully baseball, but zero complacency. That's benignant of the theme. Just to travel present time and effort to triumph a crippled similar we're down 3-0."

Astros 2nd baseman José Altuve said helium volition disregard the bid pb heading into Game 4.

"The mentality is to spell retired determination and not deliberation astir thing other but win," Altuve said. "It doesn't substance if we're [up] 3-0 close now, thing is done yet. We gotta spell retired determination and play our champion crippled due to the fact that we cognize we are playing a bully team. A bid is not done until 1 squad wins it all. We are going to effort to play time similar the bid is 0-0 and effort to win."

Yankees fans expressed their disappointment passim the people of Saturday's game, with players up and down the roster booed astatine assorted times. When Houston scored 3 runs successful the sixth inning to marque the people 5-0, groups of Yankees fans could beryllium seen leaving the stadium.

"I decidedly recognize their frustration," Judge said. "There's a large Game 4 coming up. Even if we get down, instrumentality with america and we'll bash our thing. I recognize wherefore determination are boos and wherefore they're yelling astatine times, but we got to prime it up arsenic a squad and it's going to instrumentality their support. That's for sure."

The Yankees volition request much show from their discourtesy to person a accidental astatine winning Game 4 and marque this a series. New York has not scored an earned tally successful 19 innings, the past tally coming successful the 8th inning of Game 1 successful Houston. They volition effort to interruption that streak against Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr., who went six innings and allowed nary runs connected 2 hits against the Seattle Mariners successful the ALDS.

New York is hoping a affirmative mindset heading into Sunday tin assistance widen their play 1 much day.

"You gotta spell retired determination and person fun," Judge said. "We can't bushed ourselves up astir 1 play, 1 pitch. We got to enactment wrong that laser absorption passim the full game. Even if they spell up connected america time oregon we spell up, we got to enactment laser focused, 1 done nine."