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2024 Opening Day: Yankees 5-4 Astros
The Yankees come from behind in impressive win
The 2024 MLB season is off to a flying start as the biggest rivalry of recent years gave a bit, took a bit, then gave some more.
The Houston Astros got off to a blazing start, scoring four runs in the opening two innings. The runs came on the back of walks and singles, capitalizing on Yankee mistakes and doing what Houston does best; turning the screw.
But then the Yankees did what they have promised over recent years, but have not been able to pull off with any regularity. They came back from a 4-0 deficit to exploit the weakened Astros bullpen to swing the score into their favor. The impressive firepower that the Yankees have assembled began to bear fruit but the real story was on the defensive side of the ledger.
Houston was expected to have the edge in the pitching stakes, and while the first couple of innings looked like things were going by the script, in the end it was the Yankees bullpen that turned on the heat, shutting down those prolific Astros bats in seven innings.
And while Juan Soto may use his bat to earn his paycheck, it was his arm today that won the game, as the Astros waved the tying run around third in the ninth inning and Soto put a throw from right field on the money, getting the out and securing the victory.
The challenge by Houston on the call was something of a formality, since there was no way that Mauricio Dubón was not out. The Astros challenged because, well, you never know! Strange things sometimes happen. But to be fair to them, while the tag was clearly in time, the thought that Trevino might have been blocking the plate may not be as ridiculous as it first appears. Last year, there were much more egregious cases of catchers being called for blocking despite leaving much more of an obvious route to the plate. Yes, I am talking about Jonah Heim. And so, if the officials are going to lose all perspective on these potential blocking calls, then it is only natural that the Astros felt that they had nothing to lose by challenging it.
The Houston bullpen was shaky, perhaps not lacking, but at the very least not dominant, and that was a surprise to most. But one bright spot was the work of Josh Hader who struck out the side in the eighth inning on only eleven pitches.
It is not wise to put too much stock into the meaning of a win on Opening Day, or indeed a loss, but one thing is certain. Baseball is back, and all is right in the world.
GOODBYE!!!
That is going to do it for our live coverage of 2024 Opening Day, as the New York Yankees take their first win of the regular season. The 2024 MLB season is off to a flying start! We hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did!
Keep abreast of all baseball and sports news with Diario AS USA and stick with us as we bring you all of the 2024 MLB season news as it happens!
We will be back with you for more live baseball action soon! Until then, have a great day and God bless!
Yankees win!
Alex Bregman up now representing the Astros' last chance. Runners are on first and second and Bregman grounds one to short. The force out at the plate ends the game and the Yankees come from way behind to take the 5-4 win!
The umpires make their ruling and the call on the field stands.
Astros challenge
The Astros challenge both the call and blocking the plate.
Kyle Tucker the hitter with runners on first and second and one out. The Yankees have a pow wow on the mound.
He rips a single to right field! Dubón is waved around third! The throw from Soto is in time and he is out at the plate!
Yordan Álvarez up now and he jumps on the first pitch, grounding it hard into the gap at second. Torres dives and makes the catch! He tumbles over and makes a bad throw to first. Everybody is safe!
José Altuve goes after the first pitch and shatters his bat on a drifter to second. Torres makes the catch and it is one away.
Bottom 9th
The Astros are down to their last three outs and Mauricio Dubón will lead things off for them here in the ninth. He rips a single into right field and the Houston crowd are rocking! They feel that a comeback is coming.
Pitching Change
The Yankees bring on Clay Holmes to try and slam the door shut on Houston.
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Anthony Volpe the hitter and he works the count to 2-2 before a sinker is called strike three. So he goes down looking and Hader Ks the side.
Anthony Rizzo up now and he works the count to 2-2 before a sinker gets him swinging. Two down.
Top 9th
Giancarlo Stanton leads off for the Yankees and he sees a slider, then two fastballs to strike out swinging.
Pitching Change
Josh Hader comes on now to replace Tayler Scott.
4-6-3 Double play
Jeremy Peña up now and he hits a ground ball to second. The flip to second gets one and on to first to end the inning.
Yainer Diaz up now and he rips a bullet to first that comes off the glove of Rizzo and skips past him for a single.
Bottom 8th
Chas McCormick leads off for Houston and he works the count full before the payoff delivery is a low slider that he can't hold off on for strike three.
Pitching Change
The Yankees will call on Ian Hamilton to take over from Jonathan Loáisiga.
Aaron Judge up now and he fouls two back before getting way out in front of a lovely changeup for strike three.
Juan Soto the hitter and he draws a walk on five pitches.
Gleyber Torres lifts a fly ball out to center, but right at Mauricio Dubón. Two down.
Top 8th
Oswaldo Cabrera will lead off for the Yankees facing the new pitcher. He works the count full before grounding a hard one to short. Peña bobbles but still makes the play and goes to first for out number one.
Pitching Change
The Astros will ask Tayler Scott to take over from Ryan Pressly on the mound.
José Abreu the hitter with runners on first and second and two out. He gets behind 0-2 and chases a siinker for strike three to end the inning.
Alex Bregman up now and he shoots a single into right field. Altuve advances to second on the play.
Kyle Tucker now up and he jumps on the first delivery, lining it to left but Verdugo jumps on his horse and manages to catch up to it and we have two outs.
Yordan Álvarez the hitter now and he lifts a fly ball to left field but right at Verdugo for out number one.
Bottom 7th
José Altuve leads off for Houston and he falls into an 0-2 hole really quickly before ripping a single up the middle. Gleyber Torres couldn't quite get to it.
José Trevino up now with runners at first and second and two outs. He runs the count full before the payoff delivery is a high fastball getting him swinging to end the inning. But the Yankees come roaring back and take the lead 5-4!
Yankees score!
Alex Verdugo up now with one out and bases loaded. He hits a deep fly ball to left. McCormick takes it for the out as Judge tags up at third. The throw to the plate is not in time and the Yankees have the lead for the first time!
Anthony Volpe the hitter now with runners on the corners and one out. He shows bunt but pulls it back. Two strikes and the 1-2 delivery from Pressly is fouled back. Once more and Pressly misses to make it 2-2.
A slider misses to run the count full. Pressly's payoff is fouled back. Tough at-bat here from Volpe!
The payoff again and this time it misses high. Pressly lost him and the bases are loaded.
Anthony Rizzo the hitter now and he slaps a single into left! Judge advances to third but will be held there.
Giancarlo Stanton jumps on the first pitch, grounding it to third baseman Alex Bregman. The throw to first gets the out.
Top 7th
Aaron Judge will lead off for the Yankees and he rips a shot into the left field corner for a leadoff double!
Pitching Change
Ryan Pressly will come on to pitch as Mauricio Dubón heads out to take over in center field.
Singleton taps a chopper to the mound for Loaisiga. The flip to first base ends the threat and the inning.
Pinch hitter
Jon Singleton will come on to hit for Jake Meyers now.
Jeremy Peña the hitter and he punches a single into center field. Diaz stretches it to third base and is in there! Runners on the corners with two outs.
Yainer Diaz up now and he rips the first delivery into the gap in right center for a single.
Chas McCormick up now and he works the count full before the payoff delivery is popped straight up behind the plate. Trevino drifts back and makes the catch.
Bottom 6th
José Abreu will lead things off for the Astros and he chops a high one to short. The throw is hurried and is just in time. One out.
Pitching change
The Yankees dip into their pen for Jonathan Loáisiga to replace Nestor Cortes.
Juan Soto the hitter and he works the count to 2-2 before rapping a sinker to Bregman. The throw to first ends the inning, but the Yankees have made it an even ballgame.
Gleyber Torres chops a slow roller to short for Peña. The throw to first in time and we have two outs.
Oswaldo Cabrera HOME RUN!
Oswaldo Cabrera the hitter now and he smashes a rocket to right field! That is gone quickly! The Yankees have tied the game up!
Top 6th
Jose Trevino leads off facing the new pitcher and he lifts a lined fly ball to right for Kyle Tucker for out number one.
Pitching change
The Astros will go to their bullpen and call on Rafael Montero to replace Seth Martinez.
Alex Bregman up now and he lifts a routine fly ball to center field for Judge. The Astros go down in order.
Kyle Tucker the hitter and he goes down swinging on three fastballs. Two down.
Bottom 5th
Yordan Alvarez leads off and rips the first pitch to first. Anthony Rizzo fileds it and flips to pitcher Nestor Cortes who is covering the bag. Yordan is hustling and almost beats it out!
Alex Verdugo the hitter now with the bases still loaded and two out. He slaps a ground ball to first base and José Abreu fields it and steps on the bag to end the inning. But the Yankees had a huge inning there, cutting the lead to one, trailing now by a score of 4-3.
Yankees score!
Anthony Volpe draws a four-pitch walk. Gleyber Torres scores another Yankee run!
Pitching change
Seth Martinez will come on for Framber Valdez.
Hit by pitch
Anthony Rizzo up now and Valdez has one get away from him and it runs inside, hitting Rizzo on the hands. With the bases loade, there is nowhere to put him so Oswaldo Cabrera scores.
Giancarlo Stanton the hitter now and he chases a bottomed out curve ball for strike three. Back to back Ks!
Aaron Judge up now and can't hold off a beautiful curve ball for strike three. That is huge!
Yankees score!
Juan Soto up now with bases loaded and no outs. He rips a lined shot to right field, down for a single! Trevino scores from third! The pinstripes are on the board!
Gleyber Torres the hitter now with runners on first and second with no outs. He runs the count full before the curve ball misses inside for ball four. The Yankees load the bases for the third time!
Oswaldo Cabrera the hitter now and he slaps a hard ground ball up the middle. Jeremy Peña dives and knocks it down, but can't make the play.
Top 5th
Jose Trevino leads off and draws a walk on five changeups.
Jose Altuve the hitter and strikes out swinging to end the inning.
Jake Meyers up now strikes out swinging on three pitches.
Double
Jeremy Peña jumps on the first delivery and smashes a line drive to the gap in left. Peña stretches for second and the throw from Alex Verdugo is not in time!
Bottom 4th
Yainer Diaz leads off for Houston and rips a hot shot to third on the ground. Oswaldo Cabrera nabs it and fires it over to first baseman Anthony Rizzo for out number one.
4-6-3 Double play
Alex Verdugo up now and he works the count to 3-1 before grounding into a double play. Second baseman Jose Altuve flips to shortstop Jeremy Peña and on to first baseman José Abreu to end the inning. That is the third double play in the game! Twice with bases loaded!
Mound visit
Pitching coach Joshua Miller will trot out to settle Valdez down here.
Anthony Volpe up now and draws a four-pitch walk. Giancarlo Stanton moves to second.
Sac fly
Anthony Rizzo rips a line drive to right but Kyle Tucker gets there. Aaron Judge tags and advances to third.
Giancarlo Stanton dribbles a little stinker down the third base line. Bregman leaves it and it stays fair for an infield single. Judge moves to second.
Top 4th
Aaron Judge leads off for the Yankees and draws a walk on four pitches.
Chas McCormick the hitter and he flies out to right fielder Juan Soto and the Astros go down in order.
José Abreu up now and he lifts a fly ball out to left fielder Alex Verdugo for the second out.
Bottom 3rd
Alex Bregman leads off and grounds out to shortstop Anthony Volpe, who goes to first baseman Anthony Rizzo.
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Juan Soto up now and he watches three breaking balls to go down looking.
Gleyber Torres the hitter and he rolls a dribbler to shortstop. Peña's throw to first is in time. Two gone.
Top 3rd
Oswaldo Cabrera will lead things off for the Yankees and he gets fed three breaking balls, going down swinging.
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Kyle Tucker up now and fouls off three pitches before watching a called strike three on a sweeper that catches the corner.
Yordan Álvarez up now and he lifts a high fly ball to center field for Aaron Judge. Two gone.
José Altuve up now and he pops the first pitch up to short for out number one.
Bottom 2nd
Jake Meyers leads off for the Astros and gets a fastball, middle-middle and rips a rocket! That is a long way gone! Home run! The Astros are up 4-0!
6-4-3 Double play
Jose Trevino the hitter now and he rolls one to short. The flip to the bag gets one and the throw to first ends the inning. The Astros get out of a jam there and still lead 3-0.
Alex Verdugo steps to the plate now with runners on first and second and one out. He jumps on the first delivery, poking it into left field for a single and the bases are now full!
Anthoney Volpe the hitter and he rips a low changeup into center field for a single.
Anthony Rizzo up now and he walks on four straight.
Top 2nd
Giancarlo Stanton leads off for the pinstripes in the second and he grounds one to shortstop for Peña. The throw to first is in time. One away.
Jeremy Peña up now and he taps a grounder to the mound. Nestor Cortes goes to first to end the inning but the Astros open up with three runs.
Astros score!
Yainer Diaz the hitter with runners on the corners and he pokes a single on a line drive to right! José Abreu scores! Chas McCormick advances to second.
Astros score!
Chas McCormick up now with bases loaded and two out. Cortes works the count full before McCormick slaps a single up the middle, scoring Álvarez from third and Tucker from second! Abreu advances to third on the play.
José Abreu up now with two men still on but now two outs. Cortes walks him on four straight pitches.
Alex Bregman the hitter now with runners on first and second and one out. He watches the first two called strikes before lifting a massive fly ball to left field. Alex Verdugo brings it in just in front of the Crawford boxes for the second out.
Kyle Tucker up now and he works the count full before Cortes' payoff misses in the dirt for a walk.
Yordan Álvarez the hitter now and he smokes the first delivery right back up the middle for a single.
Bottom 2nd
Nestor Cortes gets things going on the mound for New York and will face José Altuve to get things going. A great cutter gets Altuve swinging to go down on three straight.
5-4-3 Double play
Aaron Judge up now and the first pitch is chopped to third. Bregman goes to second for one and on to first to end the inning.
Juan Soto the hitter now and Valdez misses badly with the first two deliveries. Valdez fights his way back into it to bring the count full before his payoff delivery is hacked foul. We will do it again!
Another 3-2 pitch is chopped foul before the third one misses in the dirt for a walk.
Torres runs the count full before the payoff delivery is a peach of a changeup that gets him swinging.
Top 1st
Valdez delivers a 94mph sinker for a called strike, and the 2024 season is under way!
PLAY BALL!
The Astros are on the field, Framber Valdez is on the mound. The house is packed and the umpires are ready as Gleyber Torres will lead off for the New York Yankees.
Let's PLAY BALL!
Free Game of the Day
If you are missing the game, today's Yankees Astros game is the Free Game of the Day on MLB.TV
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After the Dodgers and Padres opened the Major League Baseball season with two games in South Korea, MLB Opening Day will take place this Thursday.
Minute Maid Park, aka The Juice Box in Houston, Texas is the setting for the first action of the 2024 MLB Season.
The New York Yankees know they need to do better this season after finishing fourth in the AL East last year and they made this video to hype fans up.
LINEUPS
The Home Team
Astros Batting Order
1. José Altuve (R) 2B
2. Yordan Álvarez (L) DH
3. Kyle Tucker (L) RF
4. Alex Bregman (R) 3B
5. José Abreu (R) 1B
6. Chas McCormick (R) LF
7. Yainer Diaz (R) C
8. Jeremy Peña (R) SS
9. Jake Meyers (R) CF
Manager Joe Espada
Pitching coach Joshua Miller
The Visitors
Yankees Batting Order
1. Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
2. Juan Soto (L) RF
3. Aaron Judge (R) CF
4. Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH
5. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
6. Anthony Volpe (R) SS
7. Alex Verdugo (L) LF
8. José Trevino (R) C
9. Oswaldo Cabrera (S) 3B
Manager Aaron Boone
Pitching coach Matt Blake
STARTING PITCHERS CAREER STATS
NEW YORK YANKEES
Nestor Cortes LHP
25 - 11
3.82 ERA
413 K
393.2 IP
1.17 WHIP
HOUSTON ASTROS
Framber Valdez RHP
53 - 34
3.40 ERA
697 K
712.1 IP
1.22 WHIP
PITCHING
A streak of four in a row Opening Day starts for the Yankees is broken this season as Gerrit Cole is out for the foreseeable future with elbow inflammation. Making his first start on Opening Day will be Nestor Cortes, and the southpaw has had a very forgettable spring, throwing 14 innings for an eye-watering 7.71 ERA. Coming off of rotator cuff difficulties last season, it is hard to judge what his day will be like, and Aaron Boone may have to bring out that bullpen early on in the day.
Over in the other dugout, the Astros will give the nod to Framber Valdez, who has had struggles of his own lately. A solid workhorse, Valdez can chew through the innings for Houston, but when the hits start coming, they come in a big way. The Rangers teed off on him in the post season and while he was lights out in 2021 and 2022, he is hoping that 2023 was just a wobble and not a sign of things to come.
WELCOME!!!
Welcome to the Diario AS USA live commentary of Opening Day of the 2024 MLB season as the Yankees come to Houston to take on the Astros in Minute Maid Park.
This is the modern rivalry in baseball. THE, with capital letters. Forget about the traditional Yankees rivals; the Mets, the Sox, and the Dodgers. Nobody has been as much a thorn in the side of the team from the Bronx during this century as the Houston Astros have.
The only team to no-hit the Yankees twice, the Astros are a serious foe. Previously, the Yankees hadn’t been no-hit since 1958. The Astros did it in 2003 and 2022. While the Mets, Dodgers, and Red Sox are all historical rivalries, that have a wonderful backstory and generational appeal, the only team that is a true danger to the Yankees’ postseason hopes are on the Texas Gulf coast.
The Yankees have made big upgrades to their offense, with the acquisitions of Juan Soto and Alex Verdugo, plus getting back a healthy Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge. Additionally, Anthony Rizzo, Gleyber Torres, and Anthony Volpe have all had outstanding springs. But it is their pitching that is perhaps struggling, with Gerrit Cole out with elbow inflammation and Nestor Cortes not quite yet back to form after rotator cuff trouble last season.
The Astros by contrast have a lineup that is both deep and powerful, with Jose Altuve, Yordan Alvarez, Alex Bregman, and Kyle Tucker anchoring a lineup that can do traumatic damage to any pitcher in the world. The addition of Josh Hader giving them one of the best bullpens in all of baseball, and that is sorely needed since Houston has four starting pitchers on the injured list.
The question mark for Houston lies not on the field, but in their general, as Joe Espada takes over as manager for the retired Dusty Baker.
The Astros announced a special pregame ceremony for this opening fixture, which includes recently retired former Astro, and massive fan favorite, Michael Brantley, who will be throwing the ceremonial first pitch, while rapper 50 Cent will make the Play Ball call over the house PA system.