Giancarlo Stanton leads Yankees’ attack, fans make presence known in victory over Astros

Yankees fans finally got the pound of Astros flesh they were denied last season by the pandemic.

The Yankees, though likely enjoying on the inside the unrelenting verbal hostility meted out for well over three hours by their more-vocal-than-usual fans, ultimately got what they were after.

Behind four more hits from a red-hot Giancarlo Stanton and a critical DJ LeMahieu sixth-inning infield single and Houston error in which three runs scored – the final one on a scary play at the plate – the Yankees beat the Astros, 7-3, in front of a sellout crowd of 10,850 that often sounded like three times that number.

The victory moved the Yankees (15-14), winners of six of their last seven, over .500 for the first time since they were 3-2 April 6. The Astros are 15-14.

“We’ve got a job to do on the field,” Aaron Judge said Sunday of facing the team that was penalized by MLB for a sign-stealing scandal that took place in 2017 and ’18 and beat the Yankees in the 2017 and 2019 ALCS. “There’s nothing better, nothing sweeter than going out there and putting up runs against them and getting some Ws. I think that’s the most important thing, but the fans can do what they want.”

That they did, starting at 5:30 p.m. when they began streaming into the Stadium as the Astros were taking batting practice and immediately began hurling all kinds of invective at those players shagging in the outfield and those stepping into the cage. The loudest jeers, not surprisingly, were reserved for Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve, who beat out Judge for the 2017 AL MVP award. Altuve (0-for-4) especially got it from the crowd, hearing derisive chants not only during his at-bats but also at random points in the game, almost all of those chants including an expletive of some kind.

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After Bregman momentarily – but only momentarily – quieted the crowd with his two-out homer off Domingo German in the first, the Yankees put Zack Greinke through a miserable bottom of the first.

A resurgent LeMahieu improved to 9 for his last 25 with a leadoff single and Stanton extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a towering drive to left on curveball that came in 72 mph, his team-best seventh homer making it 2-0. Stanton, whose RBI single completed the four-run sixth that made it 7-3, finished a triple shy of the cycle.

As Judge stepped in after the Stanton blast, he was cascaded with an “MVP! MVP!” chant. In the same plate appearance, which resulted in a walk, he was also serenaded with a chant directed toward Altuve not suitable for print.

After the walk to Judge, Gio Urshela singled and Torres walked to load the bases. Clint Frazier grounded into a double play, which brought in Judge to make it 3-0, and that would be all the Yankees would get off Greinke in the 31-pitch inning.

German cruised into the fourth having retired seven straight after the Bregman homer, but the long ball put an end to that streak as Michael Brantley led off the inning with his third homer to make it 3-2. Yuli Gurriel’s RBI double, which missed going out by inches, made it 3-3.

The Yankees took the lead for good in the sixth. Facing righty Bryan Abreu with the bases loaded, LeMahieu fell behind 0-and-2 before hitting a trickler toward third. Bregman barehanded the ball but threw wildly to first. Torres, the runner at third and Higashioka, who was at second, scored easily, but Odor did not slide on the play at the plate and his left knee collided with the head of the catcher, Martin Maldonado. The catcher immediately collapsed, and Odor went down hard as well, appearing to wrench his left ankle and knee. Odor, who underwent an MRI late Tuesday night, eventually was helped off the field. He was replaced at second by Tyler Wade. Maldonado, who stayed down longer, was replaced by Jason Castro.

Erik Boland started in Newsday’s sports department in 2002. He covered high school and college sports, then shifted to the Jets beat. He has covered the Yankees since 2009.