HOUSTON — It was expected to be a battle of the big names. Jose Altuve. Aaron Judge. Gerrit Cole. Zack Greinke. Carlos Correa. Giancarlo Stanton. Gary Sanchez. Yuli Gurriel. This crucial series for the Bombers back here for the first time since their suspicions about the Astros cheating had been confirmed by an MLB investigation was expected to be a slugfest between marquee names.
Instead it was Nestor Cortes and Brett Gardner that quieted a huge crowd Friday night, chasing away the ghosts of their past struggles in Minute Maid Park and setting the tone for the weekend with a 4-0 win over the Astros.