HOUSTON — Without Didi Gregorius’ clutch hits this postseason, the Yankees almost certainly wouldn’t have reached the ALCS. But in Friday’s 2-1 Game 1…
HOUSTON — Without Didi Gregorius’ clutch hits this postseason, the Yankees almost certainly wouldn’t have reached the ALCS.
But in Friday’s 2-1 Game 1 loss to the Astros, the shortstop was unable to deliver in the eighth inning.
After the Yankees finally got Dallas Keuchel out of the game following his seven shutout innings, Brett Gardner drew a one-out walk with Chris Devenski on the mound.
Devenski was replaced by closer Ken Giles, who got Aaron Judge to ground to third.
But Giles, trying to get just his fourth save in 2017 of at least five outs, walked Gary Sanchez to put the tying runs on base.
With Ronald Torreyes pinch running for Sanchez at first, Gregorius came to the plate, an extra-base hit away from potentially knotting the game.
Instead, Gregorius, who went 0-for-4, struck out swinging on an 0-2 slider.
“I did not get the job done, so it was not a good at-bat,” Gregorius said. “I didn’t do my job today and I am here to admit it. I didn’t get at least one run in with runners in scoring position and two outs. Tomorrow is a new day so we have to let today go.”
It was a rare tough night for the shortstop. Gregorius’ three-run homer in the first inning tied the wild-card game against the Twins and sparked a comeback. He followed that with a two-homer performance in the Yankees’ ALDS-clinching win in Game 5 against the Indians and Corey Kluber.
“I thought the first pitch [of the at-bat] was off the plate, but you have to let it go because there is nothing you can do with that,” Gregorius said. “[Giles] threw another fastball and I missed it and he threw a slider and I ended up striking out.”
Greg Bird homered off Giles with two outs in the ninth, but the Gregorius at-bat was their best chance to even it late in the game.
