3 things the Yankees must do to win Game 5

1. James Paxton must match Justin Verlander

This is clearly a big ask for the gangly left-hander the Yankees call Big Maple. He was badly outplayed by Justin Verlander in Game 2. If the Yankees are going to turn the series around in Game 5, however, James Paxton will need to match Houston’s talented righty at the very least.

The only good thing about Paxton being lifted in the third inning of his last start is that he should be well-rested on Friday night. That means the Canadian needs to let it all hang out. He normally tries to hold back a little on his fastball in the early innings, but he needs to come out of the gates in the high-90s to put Houston’s batting order on its heels.

The tough thing for Paxton is that it might require a shutout to outduel Verlander in this one. The Astros’ ace has a lengthy record of postseason success against all sorts of powerful lineups. The Yankees’ offense won’t come into Game 5 riding any sort of high. Expecting them to chase Verlander with a healthy amount of runs is a pipe dream for Aaron Boone and his coaching staff.

If the Yankees want to keep their hopes for a 28th World Series title alive, they absolutely need Paxton to pitch a masterpiece in Game 5. That’s not necessarily the most likely outcome of Paxton’s start, but it’s certainly not out of the realm of possibility. Brian Cashman traded for him in the offseason because of his ability to pitch a dominant game upon occasion. The Yankees desperately need for Game 5 to be one of those occasions.