Astros secure the series win as Justin Verlander passes Cy Young

Astros daily report presented by APG&E: 2 hits from the 5-1 win

Chris Campise
Jun 1, 2019, 10:44 pm
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images

After taking the first game of the series on Friday night, the Astros looked to secure yet another series win by getting a victory on Saturday. Here are the facts from the game:

Final Score: Astros 5, A's 1.

Record: 39-20, first in the AL West.

Winning pitcher: Justin Verlander (9-2, 2.27 ERA).

Losing pitcher: Brett Anderson (6-4, 3.95 ERA).

1) Another historic night for Verlander

It was a great all-around night for Justin Verlander on the mound. He did allow a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning which at the time gave Oakland a 1-0 lead, but that would be one of the few blemishes on an otherwise terrific night for Houston's ace. He'd go on to throw eight one-run innings, earning him his ninth win on the season, improving his record to 9-2.

Also, Verlander's sixth and seventh strikeouts on the night put him in a tie then ahead of none other than Cy Young on the all-time strikeout leaderboard and in sole position of 21st on the list of the game's greatest pitchers. Verlander is likely to pass several more before season's end.

With Verlander's night done after eight innings, Will Harris took over to close out the win in the ninth. He'd do, securing the series win and keeping the Astros out to an eight-game lead in the division.

2) Reddick comfortable in Oakland, again

After looking up at a 1-0 deficit early, it was Josh Reddick who provided another dose of power back at his old stomping grounds of the Oakland Coliseum. He connected on a home run in the top of the fourth inning, making it back-to-back games, which with a runner on base made it a go-ahead shot and gave Houston a 2-1 lead, a lead they'd never give up. Alex Bregman was gifted an RBI in the top of the fifth, hitting a shallow shot into right field that fell in on a defensive miscue by Oakland, extending the lead to 3-1.

In the bottom of the eighth, Reddick struck again by leading off the inning with a single, setting up a two-run home run by Robinson Chirinos. That gave Houston two more insurance runs with a 5-1 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth.

Up Next: The Astros and A's will wrap up this series with a 3:07 PM start time on Sunday afternoon. Gerrit Cole (5-5, 4.02 ERA) will look to get his second win in a row as he continues to rack up dominant strikeout numbers as he goes up against Chris Bassitt (3-1, 3.27 ERA) for Oakland.

The Astros daily report is presented by APG&E.

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Where does Altuve's home run rank?

The 5 most memorable moments in Houston sports history

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Saturday night, Jose Altuve hit a walk-off home run to send the Astros back to the World Series. As single sports moments go, it was up there. A look at where it ranks:

5) CRAIG BIGGIO'S 3000th HIT

The Astros had a terrific run with Craig Biggio and Jeff Bagwell leading the way, but by 2007, the run was coming to an end. They never quite got over the top, but in the last great moment of the era, Biggio would get his 3000th hit on June 28 against the Colorado Rockies. It would be his third hit of a five hit night and would all but guarantee his spot in the Hall of Fame.

4) MIKE SCOTT'S CLINCHING NO HITTER 

On Sept. 25, 1986, Mike Scott took the mound against the San Francisco Giants with a chance to clinch the NL West and earn the team's second all-time playoff appearance. Back then, there were two divisions in each league, and the winners of each met in the NLCS. Scott would punch the ticket in amazing fashion, striking out 13 Giants and pitching a no-hitter. It was the only time a division was clinched with a no-hit performance and it topped this list for many years. The Astros would go on to lose a classic series against the Mets, but the Scott moment would live in Houston lore forever.

3) ALTUVE'S BLAST


Tied in the ninth, Jose Altuve hit a walk-off home run off of Aroldis Chapman to send the Astros to the World Series for the third time in history and second time in three years.

2) ALEX BREGMAN'S WALK-OFF IN GAME 5 OF THE 2017 SERIES

It did not win a title - yet - but it did put the Astros up 3-2 in the Series, which they would go on to win in seven games. Alex Bregman's hit drove in Derek Fisher in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Astros a 13-12 win in one of the greatest World Series games ever played. Without it, the Astros do not win their first World Series.

1) ROCKETS WIN GAME 7 AGAINST THE KNICKS FOR FIRST TITLE

The 1993-94 Hakeem Olajuwon led Rockets were on the cusp of their first ever NBA title, and the first major sports championship in the city's history. Olajuwon came up big in Game 7 with 25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 blocks as the Rockets held on for the 90-84 win as the Knicks' John Starks shot 2 for 18. As the clock ticked down to zero, the city had its first ever title in a major sport, after decades of incompetence.

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