2019 American League Championship Series
Team (Wins) Managers Season Houston Astros (4) A. J. Hinch 107–55 (.660), GA: 10 New York Yankees (2) Aaron Boone 103–59 (.636), GA: 7
Dates	October 12–19
MVP	Jose Altuve (Houston)
Umpires	Dan Bellino,Cory Blaser,Mark Carlson,Kerwin Danley,Mike Everitt (crew chief, Games 4–6),[a]Marvin Hudson,[b]Jeff Nelson (crew chief, Games 1–3),[a]Bill Welke[b]
Broadcast
Television	Fox (Game 1) FS1 (Games 2–6)
TV announcers	Joe Buck (Games 1–3, 5–6),Joe Davis (Game 4),John Smoltz,Ken Rosenthal andTom Verducci
Radio	ESPN
Radio announcers	Dan Shulman,Chris Singleton andBuster Olney
ALDS	Houston Astros overTampa Bay Rays (3–2) New York Yankees overMinnesota Twins (3–0)
← 2018 ALCS 2020 →

The2019 American League Championship Series was a best-of-seven series inMajor League Baseball's2019 postseason between the two winners of the2019 American League Division Series; the overall #1 seedHouston Astros and the second-seededNew York Yankees, for theAmerican League (AL)pennant and the right to play in the2019 World Series. The Astros defeated the Yankees in six games, advancing to face the2019 National League champions, theWashington Nationals, whom they lost to in seven games.

The series was played in a 2–3–2 format, with the Astros, having the better regular season record, hosting the first two and last two (if necessary) games.^[1] The series was the 50th in league history,^[c] withFox/FS1 televising all games in the United States.

For the third straight year,Major League Baseball soldpresenting sponsorships to all of its postseason series; as with theNLCS, this ALCS was sponsored byGEICO and officially known as the2019 American League Championship Series presented by GEICO.^[2]

The best-of-fiveAmerican League Division Series were scheduled for October 4–10.

The top-seededHouston Astros won their first two games against theTampa Bay Rays, winner of theAmerican League Wild Card Game. The Rays won the next two games to force a deciding Game 5, which Houston won to advance to their third straight ALCS; each game of the series was won by the home team. Houston was 1–1 in prior ALCS appearances. When they competed in theNational League, Houston was 1–3 inNLCS appearances.

The second-seededNew York Yankees swept their series against the third-seededMinnesota Twins to clinch their 17th ALCS appearance. New York was 11–5 in prior ALCS appearances.

This series was a sequel to the2017 ALCS, which the Astros won in seven games, and the third overall postseason meeting between the two teams. The Astros and Yankees faced each other seven times during the 2019 regular season, with the Astros winning four of those games.^[3]

Houston won the series, 4–2.

Game 1 starting pitchers wereMasahiro Tanaka for the Yankees andZack Greinke for the Astros. The Yankees scored first withGleyber Torres driving inDJ LeMahieu in the top of the fourth inning. They added two runs in the top of the sixth, on home runs by Torres andGiancarlo Stanton, and added two more runs in the top of the seventh, via four consecutive two-out singles, with Torres collecting two more RBIs. In the top of the ninth, the Yankees extended their lead to 7–0, via a leadoff homer byGio Urshela and another RBI by Torres, this one coming on afielder's choice, as LeMahieu scored from third on a groundout.Jonathan Loáisiga concluded matters, pitching the bottom of the ninth, with the game ending on aMichael Brantley fly out toCameron Maybin as the Yankees took a 1–0 series lead. Tanaka earned the win, allowing just one hit while striking out four and facing the minimum in his six innings (18 batters). Greinke was charged with the loss, allowing three runs on seven hits in six innings while striking out six.

Game 2 starting pitchers wereJames Paxton for New York andJustin Verlander for Houston. Houston scored first, asCarlos Correa doubled inAlex Bregman who had singled to lead off the bottom of the second inning. Yankees managerAaron Boone removed Paxton after2+1⁄3 innings—Paxton had allowed one run on four hits while striking out three. The Yankees took a 2–1 lead in the fourth, withAaron Judge homering afterDJ LeMahieu had walked. Houston tied the game in the fifth, on a home run byGeorge Springer. Verlander departed after6+2⁄3 innings, having allowed two runs on five hits while striking out seven. With no further scoring through regulation, the game went toextra innings. After a scoreless tenth inning, Correa led off the 11th with a home run offJ. A. Happ to give the Astros a 3–2 win and tie the series at 1, going into Yankee Stadium for the next three games.

Game 3 starting pitchers wereGerrit Cole for the Astros andLuis Severino for the Yankees. The Astros scored first on a home run byJose Altuve in the first inning.Josh Reddick followed with another homer in the second. The game was delayed by 20 minutes before the top of the fifth inning, as home plate umpireJeff Nelson had to leave the game, due to the effects of being hit by a foul ball during the top of the fourth inning;Kerwin Danley, who had been the second base umpire, took over behind the plate.^[10] Severino left the game in the fifth inning after allowing two runs on five hits, walking three and striking out six in4+1⁄3 innings. Houston added two runs in the seventh on a wild pitch by Yankee relief pitcherZack Britton that allowed Altuve to score, and a sacrifice fly byYuli Gurriel that scoredMichael Brantley. Cole pitched seven shutout innings for the Astros, allowing four hits with five walks and seven strikeouts.Gleyber Torres put the Yankees on the board in the eighth inning with a home run offJoe Smith. Houston closerRoberto Osuna pitched a perfect ninth inning for his first save of the postseason.

Game 4 was originally scheduled for October 16, but was postponed and rescheduled to October 17 due to the "bomb cyclone" that hit theNortheast.^[11][12] UmpireJeff Nelson was removed from the umpiring crew after tests indicated he suffered a concussion during Game 3; he was replaced byMike Everitt.^[13]

The Yankees scored once in the first inning, forcing in a run with two walks after having runners on first and second with two out. The Astros took a 3–1 lead in the third inning, via a three-run home run byGeorge Springer. Houston starting pitcherZack Greinke exited after4+1⁄3 innings, having allowing one run on three hits and striking out five. New York starterMasahiro Tanaka was removed one batter into the sixth inning; he was replaced byChad Green, who gave up a three-run home run toCarlos Correa three batters later. Tanaka was charged with four runs on four hits, while striking out one. A two-run home run byGary Sánchez in the bottom of the sixth cut the Astros' lead to 6–3. A double byAlex Bregman followed by two Yankee errors gave the Astros a run in the eighth. With runners on first and third and nobody out, Yankee left-handerCC Sabathia entered the game in relief ofAdam Ottavino and threw 20 pitches to five batters, retiring two, before leaving with a shoulder injury to a standing ovation from fans and players on both teams. The Yankees removed Sabathia from their roster the next day, rendering him ineligible to pitch in the World Series and ending his storied 19-year career.^[14] Houston extended their lead to 8–3 in the ninth inning, on an error, wild pitch, and single. The Yankees were unable to score in the bottom of the ninth, asRoberto Osuna concluded matters by retiringGleyber Torres on a flyout to Springer and the Astros were a victory away from playing Washington in the World Series.

Game 5 was originally scheduled for October 17, but was rescheduled to October 18 when Game 4 was postponed.^[12] PitcherCC Sabathia, who had left Game 4 with a shoulder injury, was removed from the Yankees' postseason roster and replaced byBen Heller.^[15]

The Astros took an early 1–0 lead, asGeorge Springer led off the game with an infield single, went to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on a ground out, and then scored on a wild pitch. But the Yankees would strike back immediately, asDJ LeMahieu tied the game with a home run to lead off the bottom of the first onJustin Verlander's second pitch.Aaron Judge followed with a single beforeGleyber Torres advanced him to third on a double, setting up a crucial opportunity. Verlander appeared to have recovered, striking outGiancarlo Stanton on a full count before puttingAaron Hicks in an 0-2 hole. However, Hicks would lay off the next three pitches, all outside the zone, before crushing a fly ball down the right field line. With the entire stadium holding its breath, the ball hit the foul pole to immense celebration from the crowd, giving the Yankees a 4–1 lead. New York starting pitcherJames Paxton left after six innings, having allowed one run on four hits while striking out nine. Verlander, despite the shaky start, would hold the fort for seven innings, striking out nine while allowing four runs on five hits, and suffered the loss. With no scoring other than in the first inning,Aroldis Chapman set down the side in order in the top of the ninth, earning his secondsave this postseason, as he retired Springer on a groundout toGio Urshela to send the series back to Houston and extend the Yankees' season. This was the first game in MLB postseason history (1,609 games) that both teams scored in the first inning, then were held scoreless the rest of the game.^[16]

External videos
Game 6 Full replay on the MLB's official YouTube channel

In a "bullpen game",^[17] the starting pitchers wereBrad Peacock, who had pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Game 5 for Houston, andChad Green for New York.Yuli Gurriel gave Houston an early lead, with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning. Green left after the first inning, having allowed three runs on two hits, while recording one strikeout. The Yankees closed to 3–1 in the second inning, afterDidi Gregorius doubled andGary Sánchez hit an RBI single with two out. Peacock left after1+2⁄3 innings, having allowed a run on two hits while striking out two batters. AGio Urshela home run in the top of the fourth inning trimmed Houston's lead to 3–2. In the bottom of the sixth,Alex Bregman hit into afielder's choice, scoring the fourth run for the Astros. In the top of the ninth inning, an Urshela single was followed two batters later by aDJ LeMahieu home run that tied the game at four. AfterGeorge Springer extended the bottom of the ninth with a two-out walk,Jose Altuve hit awalk-off two-runhome run offAroldis Chapman to win the game and send theAstros to their secondWorld Series in three years; it was also thesecond time in three years that Chapman gave up the winning hit in a tied ALCS game in the ninth inning. Altuve's pennant-winning homer was the fifth to end any LCS, afterChris Chambliss (1976 ALCS),Aaron Boone (2003 ALCS),Magglio Ordonez (2006 ALCS), andTravis Ishikawa (2014 NLCS).

During the trophy ceremony to present the league trophy, Jose Altuvé was namedseries MVP for Houston, becoming the first Astros position player to win the LCS MVP Award (all previous Astros to win the award were pitchers).^[18]

With this loss, the 2010s became the first decade since the 1910s not to have the Yankees play in a World Series,^[19] as their last appearance (and title) was in2009, and the second decade that the Yankees did not win at least one World Series (lost to the Dodgers in1981 in their only appearance in the World Series in the 1980s). It was also the first decade since the 1910s that a New York City team did not win a World Series, as theMets lost in2015.^[19]

• FS1, withJoe Buck:

ALTUVE! HAS JUST SENT THE ASTROS TO THE WORLD SERIES!^[20]

2019 ALCS(4–2):Houston Astros beatNew York Yankees

During clubhouse celebrations after the Astros won Game 6 of the 2019 ALCS, Astros assistant general managerBrandon Taubman taunted a group of nearby female reporters by aggressively praising Astros relief pitcherRoberto Osuna, an alleged domestic abuser. The Astros had received backlash after trading for Osuna near the 2018 trade deadline as he was serving a 75-game suspension after serious domestic violence accusations. Taubman, who was involved in the acquisition of Osuna, was defensive of Osuna's performance as a reliever and overall presence on the team. Taubman had previously complained about the fact that one of the reporters in the group had a practice of tweeting out a domestic violence hotline number whenever Osuna took the mound for the Astros.^[21] After the season, Taubman was placed onMLB's ineligible list through at least the end of the 2020 season as a result of his behavior.

The Astros would go on to lose the2019 World Series to the National League ChampionWashington Nationals in seven games with the road team winning all seven games. Washington won 1, 2, 6, and the decidingGame 7 atMinute Maid Park inHouston and Houston won all three games atNationals Park inWashington, D.C.

On December 18, 2019, the Yankees signed free agent pitcherGerrit Cole away from the Astros,^[22] only sparking the recentrivalry between the two clubs which started during the2017 American League Championship Series. While the Yankees signed a current ace in Gerrit Cole during the off-season, their former aceC.C. Sabathia retired at the season's end. His Game 4 relief appearance was the last of his career.

The animosity between the two teams only grew stronger in January of the next year, due to the revelations of theHouston Astros sign stealing scandal during the 2017 season.^[23] Hours after MLB announced its findings, Astros ownerJim Crane fired Luhnow and Hinch, while a day later theRed Sox firedAlex Cora, who had been the bench coach for the 2017 Astros. A week later, theNew York Mets andCarlos Beltrán, who was hired as their manager in the 2019–2020 offseason, mutually agreed to part ways, as he was the only then-Astros player called out by name for his involvement in the scheme. While conspiracy theories had been floated about the 2019 ALCS by various members of media and players, there was found to be no proof of any wrongdoing in said series.^[24][25][26]

Houston replaced Luhnow withTampa Bay Rays vice president of baseball operationsJames Click, while veteran managerDusty Baker took over for Hinch. Hinch and Cora would find work shortly after their season long suspensions ended; Hinch became the manager of theDetroit Tigers and Cora was re-hired by the Red Sox. While Beltran has not found a major league manager job since, he was hired in 2022 to broadcast games for the Yankees.^[27] In 2023, Beltran found his way back to the Mets, joining their front office as a special assistant.^[28]

The Astros and Yankees nearly met again for a chance at the American League pennant for the third time in four years, but the Yankees lost to the Rays in a winner-take-all elimination game in the2020 American League Division Series. In that series,Aroldis Chapman gave up another game and series clinching home run to Rays outfielderMike Brosseau in the 8th inning. The Rays beat the Astros in the ALCS that year, but Houston rebounded in 2021 with a victory over theBoston Red Sox (who had beaten the Yankees in the Wild Card Game) in six games in theALCS to become the first AL team to make three World Series appearances in a five-year span since the Yankees in the early 21st century. The Astros, however, were defeated in the2021 World Series by theBraves.

In the2022 American League Championship Series, the Astros and Yankees faced off for the American League pennant for the third time in the last six years. The Astros won in four games in dominant fashion, marking the first time inten years that the Yankees had been swept in four games. From 2015-2022, the Astros had won thirteen of eighteen postseason games against New York. In the2022 World Series, the Astros defeated thePhiladelphia Phillies, giving them their second championship in franchise history.

• 2019 National League Championship Series

• McTaggart, Brian (October 20, 2019)."Altuve's walk-off winner sends Astros to Series".MLB.com. RetrievedOctober 20, 2019.
• Nightengale, Bob (October 12, 2019)."ALCS preview: Astros vs. Yankees is the marquee matchup of the postseason".USA Today. RetrievedOctober 12, 2019.
• Park, Do-Hyoung (October 16, 2019)."How does G4 rainout affect ALCS?".MLB.com. RetrievedOctober 16, 2019.

• 2019 American League Championship Series at Baseball Reference

• 2019 Major League Baseball season
• American League Championship Series
• Baseball competitions in New York City
• Houston Astros postseason
• New York Yankees postseason
• 2019 in Houston
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• 2019 in sports in Texas
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• 2010s in the Bronx

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