HOUSTON -- Clarke Schmidt whirled and pumped his fist, having dotted a sinker on the outside half of home plate that induced Kyle Tucker to hit into an inning-ending double play. The right-hander had done his job with aplomb, escaping this bases-loaded challenge and savoring a complete 180-degree spin from a costly performance last week in Cleveland.
But despite a roster that increased to 13 pitchers for this American League Championship Series, manager Aaron Boone is still searching for the right buttons to push. Returning to the mound for the sixth inning, Schmidt surrendered homers to Yuli Gurriel and Chas McCormick as the Astros grabbed control, handing the Yankees a 4-2 loss in Wednesday’s ALCS Game 1 at Minute Maid Park.
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