AL Wild Card Game 2015: Yankees vs. Astros Breakdown and Predictions
October 5, 2015 · Jacob Shafer · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
It took exactly 162 games to get here, but the matchup for the 2015 American League Wild Card Game is set. The Houston Astros will visit the New York Yankees for a do-or-die showdown on Tuesday (8:05 p.m. ET on ESPN) with a trip to the division series on the line.
The Yankees (87-75) haven’t been to the playoffs since 2012, while the Astros (86-76) last went to the dance in 2005.
Houston won the season series against New York 4-3, splitting a four-game set at Minute Maid Park in its first meeting (June 25-28) and taking two of three at Yankee Stadium (Aug. 24-26).
The most obvious disparity between the two clubs is the depth of their pockets. The Yankees’ payroll tops out at $218.9 million, per Spotrac.com, dwarfing the Astros’ $81.2 million budget. To put an even finer point on it: New York spends almost as much on pitching ($71.3 million) as the ‘Stros do on their entire roster.
Speaking of pitching, the Astros will send left-handed ace and AL Cy Young Award contender Dallas Keuchel to the hill, while the Yankees will counter with their No. 1, right-hander Masahiro Tanaka, meaning an old-fashioned pitchers’ duel is a distinct possibility.
Which squad will emerge victorious from this winner-take-all battle and advance to the ALDS?
While we await the game—and a definitive answer—let’s break down the variables and matchups and arrive at an educated guess.
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