New York Yankees vs. Astros Rivalry : Head to Head

One of baseball’s newest and most exciting rivalries is between two teams that barely played each other just a decade ago. The two teams I’m referring to are the New York Yankees and the Houston Astros; which might have been one of the more unanticipated rivalries to take place in baseball’s modern era.

However, this rivalry has become one of the more fascinating in recent memory, as there are multiple layers to the bad blood on both sides — some of which has been festering for quite some time.

Yankees vs. Astros Head to Head History

Because the Houston Astros only moved to the American League in 2013, the head to history between them and the New York Yankees is relatively brief. That being said, these two teams have played each other a total of 93 games, with the Yankees holding an overall edge in the all-time series, 48-45 (a 51.6% winning percentage).

When it comes to the postseason, however, the Astros hold a 13-5 advantage over the Yankees.

The most recent game between the Yankees and Astros took place on September 3, 2023, when the Yankees defeated the Astros by a score of 6-1.

Both the Yankees and the Astros have amassed a 7 game winning streak against the other team — with the Astros streak occurring on June 30, 2022, and continuing until October 23, 2022. As for the Yankees, their 7 game win streak over Houston started on June 12, 2003, and continued until June 13, 2010.

Yankees vs. Astros Head To Head (Since 2008 Season)

Yankees vs. Astros Rivalry Background

There is a lot behind the rivalry between the Yankees and the Astros. Although the ill sentiment may have started when the Yankees signed Hall of Fame pitcher Roger Clemens away from the Astros, at the end of his career. The Yankees have also signed Astros star players such as Lance Berkman and Gerrit Cole away from Houston in the past two decades.

However, the main reason behind this rivalry is that, since the Astros joined the American League in 2013, these two teams have played each other in the postseason a total of 4 times — with the Astros winning all 4 series.

Yet, it isn’t just due to the fact that the Astros have owned the postseason that has Yankees fans upset. The more pressing issue between these teams is what took place during their matchup in the 2017 American League Championship Series. While the Astros won the series in 6 games, they were later caught cheating during the series, using an elaborate method of sign-stealing via outfield camera feeds and verbal cues in the dugout in order to discern what pitches the Yankees were throwing to them.

Many people believe that if the Astros hadn’t been stealing signs during the series (and also during the World Series afterwards, which the Astros won), the Yankees would have won the AL pennant instead of them. Of course, we have no way of knowing whether that is truly the case.

Another interesting note about this rivalry is that the Astros are the only team to have produced two no-hitters against the Yankees. They’re also the only team in MLB history to have beaten the Yankees in a postseason series four times; with the most recent coming in 2022, during the American League Championship Series.

Yankees vs. Astros 2022 AL Championship Series

The Astros and Yankees entered the 2022 ALCS being the top two seeds in the American League. Because the Astros had the better regular season record, they were the top seed, and therefore had home field advantage throughout the series — which ended up not lasting too long.

Game 1 of the series took place in Houston, with Astros ace Justin Verlander toeing the rubber for the home team. Neither team scored in the first inning, then both teams scored 1 run each in the second; the Yankees’ having come from a solo home run by Harrison Bader. Neither team scored again until the bottom of the sixth inning, when the Astros put 2 runs on the board, due to 2 solo home runs from Yuli Gurriel and Chas McCormick, respectively.

From there, the Astros tacked on another run in the seventh inning, making the score 4-1. While the Yankees added a run of their own in the eighth, it wasn’t enough to defeat Houston, who won the game 4-2.

Game 2 took place one day later, also in Houston. Neither team scored any runs in the game’s first two innings, then Astros’ Alex Bregman broke the tie with a two-out, three-run home run again the Yankees starting pitcher, Luis Severino. The Yankees responded in the top of the fourth inning with 2 runs of their own, making the score 3-2 in favor of the Astros. However, pitching became the dominant factor in the game, as neither team scored any more runs throughout the game and the Astros won Game 2 3-2, and took a 2-0 lead in the series.

Game 3 took place in New York, and was all Astros from start to finish. The Yankees only tallied 3 hits and scored 0 runs all game, and with the Astros having scored 5 runs throughout the game (2 scored in the second inning, and 3 scored in the sixth), they were able to cruise to a 5-0 Game 3 victory, and take a commanding lead in the ALCS.

Game 4 took place one day later, once again in New York. While the Yankees got off to a hot start in the game, scoring 3 runs in the first two innings, the Astros then responded with a 4 run third inning, which was owed largely to a 3-run home run from Jeremy Pena. The Yankees responded with 1 run in the fourth, tying the score at 4-4. The Yankees then added 1 more run in the sixth inning, off of a Harrison Bader solo home run. But then the Astros scored 2 runs in the seventh inning, due to series of singles, which made the score 6-5 in favor of Houston. The Yankees proved unable to muster a comeback, and ultimately lost the game by that same score, thus getting swept in the ALCS and sending the Houston Astros to the 2022 World Series.

Yankees vs. Astros 2024 Rivalry Analysis

The Astros deserve a ton of credit for refusing to be intimidated by New York ever since moving to the American League. In fact, it’s the Yankees who should be intimidated by Houston, as they’ve never defeated them in a postseason series.

Both Houston and New York should be top-tier AL teams in 2024 — which could mean that we’ll see them square off in the postseason once more. Yet, for Yankees fans, they would likely prefer to play any other team than the Astros.

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James Idayi

James Idayi is an experienced writer with a deep passion for the world of media, sports, and entertainment. With years of experience working in the streaming industry, James has a wealth of knowledge and expertise when it comes to creating compelling content for modern audiences.

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