Justin Verlander K's 11 to lead Astros to win in ALCS opener

HOUSTON — The Astros quickly ran out of superlatives in describing Justin Verlander's performance in their 4-2 victory over the New York Yankees in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Wednesday night.

Echoes of «first-ballot Hall of Famer,» «workhorse» and «ace» were heard throughout the Astros clubhouse after Verlander struck out 11 batters over six innings and allowed only one earned run.

But what truly differentiated his performance was the fact that the 39-year-old Verlander was not initially sharp, coming off one of the worst postseason outings of his illustrious career, having allowed six runs on 10 hits in the first game of the division series against the Seattle Mariners.

The Astros managed a comeback victory against Seattle with a three-run, walk-off home run by slugger Yordan Alvarez, with Verlander notably showing rust and lack of command. Even so, it was no surprise to catcher Martin Maldonado that his ace quickly returned to form when he was needed most.

«This is exactly what I expected from him,» Maldonado told ESPN. «That is why he is a Hall of Famer.»

«He's not only physically strong, which you can see, but he's mentally strong,» manager Dusty Baker added in praise of Verlander. «This guy, he has mental toughness. When he's down and out and it looks like you got him in trouble, I mean, this guy, he can dial it up.»

While the Astros fell behind in the second inning Wednesday night after Harrison Bader tagged him with a solo shot, Verlander bounced back, retiring the last 11 Yankees he faced in a row, with nine punch-outs.

Verlander's 11 total strikeouts gave him the eighth double-digit strikeout game of his postseason career, setting an MLB record. Verlander also became the new postseason