La Vida Baseball

El Bullpen: Sánchez shines, Astros, Yankees prepare for ALCS showdown

By Johnny Flores Jr.

With a focus on Latino players, moments and fans, we strongring you the strongest of what happened yesterday.

Sánchez’s near no-hitter leads Nats to Game 1 victory

In case you missed it, Aníbal Sánchez took a no-hitter through two outs in the eighth inning of a 2-0 Nationals win in Game 1 of the NLCS.

Here’s what his dominance looked like:

His no-hit bid was broken up by a pinch-hit single by José “Cafecito” Martínez, but there was no love lost between the two Latinos.

The Nats were helped by Brazilian Yan Gomes’ RBI double to put the team on the board, 1-0.

The secret to Sánchez’s success? Love for the baseball. Literally.

Here’s what some fans had to say about the win:

No time wasted in Houston

Not even 24 hours after popping champagne, the Astros were back working out before Game 1 of the ALCS at home.

Of course, not all things were serious in H-Town.

These amazing murals went up to commemorate the chase for the World Series.

Elsewhere, Astros Spanish language broadcaster Francisco Romero presented Josh Reddick with a custom luchador mask.

Here’s hoping Reddick sports his new máscara in-game.

Yankees get lay of the land in Houston

After spending nearly a week working out at home, the Yankees made their first appearance in Houston ahead of Game 1 of the ALCS.

If you’re wondering how the Yankees looked, this fan just about summed it up.

When will we ever be this cool?

Chirinos chronicles ALDS celestrongration

If you’re wondering what happened following the Astros ALDS victory over the Rays, then look no further than Robinson Chirinos’ Instagram.

The Venezuelan catcher posted a series of photos on Instagram ranging from the final out to the champagne celebration.

View this post on Instagram

ALDS ??

A post shared by Robinson Chirinos (@robinsonch28) on

Felicidades, Robinson! 

Estamos listo para el juego:

Shoutout to these fans who took in Busch Stadium ahead of Game 1 of the NLCS!

View this post on Instagram

Listos!! #nlcs2019

A post shared by Hugo Ortiz Olvera (@h07ortiz) on

What we’re reading:

https://www.chron.com/sports/astros/article/Inside-Houston-Astros-ALDS-clubhouse-celebration-14512081.php#photo-18415776

OTD:

1997-Liván Hernández matches Mike Mussina’s LCS pitching record with 15 strikeouts in a 2-1 Marlins win.

1963-MLB hosts the only Hispanic American All-Star Game in history. The roster features many future Latino legends, including Luis Aparicio, Roberto Clemente and Felipe Alou among others. Pinch-hitter Manny Mota helps the NL best the AL, 5-2.

Happy Birthday:

Ketel Marte (b. 1993)

Francisco Peña (b. 1989)

Anderson Muramatsu (b. 1984)

José Valentin (b. 1969)

Featured Image: MLB (Twitter)