Everything Dusty Baker said after Houston Astros Game 2 ALCS win over New York Yankees
By Kevin Henry
Dusty Baker’s thoughts on ALCS moving to the Bronx
With Game 3 scheduled for Saturday night, Houston takes a 2-0 edge into what will be a very hostile environment at Yankee Stadium.
New York and Houston split a four-game series in the Bronx in late June, with the Yankees winning both their games on walk-off hits. When the Astros won their two games, it was because of pitching, winning 3-0 and 3-1.
“My thoughts are we’re going to try to get that third one because that’s the only thing that you can control is that one game at a time, that third game,” Baker said. “So we’re just going to try to play the same way we’ve been playing. Hopefully we get some guys hot. We got a few guys hot. We would like to get everybody hot before it’s over with.”
Gerrit Cole will be on the mound for the Yankees while Baker has not officially named a starter for Game 3 yet.
“Well, you know, the playoffs, you’re going to be facing No. 1s and No. 2s and No. 3s every once in a while. You’re going to be facing their top pitchers,” Baker said. “So you know they’re going to be close ball games. We’re a high-contact team, which helps us a lot. Once you start winning these close games like we did down the stretch and most of the year has went in our favor because I think our win-loss record in one-run games is high. Once you get used to that — and a lot of that, when you win these close games, it’s pitching and defense. Usually we don’t beat ourselves. We don’t care what the score was or is, just as long as we touch home plate one more time than they do.”