Astros Beat Yankees in AL Wild-Card Game, Cubs Play Tonight

A year ago, no one could have pictured this. Yet here they were, Dallas Keuchel and the Houston Astros, soaking in champagne, merrily posing for a victory shot on the mound at Yankee Stadium.

After all that losing, this was one October win to remember.

Pitching on three days' rest for the first time in his career, Keuchel baffled New York for six innings of three-hit ball. Colby Rasmus and Carlos Gomez homered, and the Astros beat the Yankees 3-0 on Tuesday night in the American League wild-card game.

"Nobody really gave us anything at the start of the year," said Keuchel, the AL's only 20-game winner. "And I don't think anybody gave us a shot at the end of the year."

The orange-clad Astros, who secured their spot in this winner-take-all game on the last day of the regular season, advanced to the division series against the Royals, the defending AL champions, starting Thursday night in Kansas City.

Aggressive from the start in their initial playoff appearance as an AL club, and first since being swept by the White Sox in the 2005 World Series, the Astros came out swinging against Masahiro Tanaka in front of a revved-up Bronx crowd.

Rasmus sent Tanaka's first pitch of the second inning soaring into deep right field. Gomez, who had only five plate appearances after missing nearly two weeks with a strained chest muscle in mid-September, connected on the first offering of the fourth.

Tuesday, October 6 Scoreboard

Houston 3, New York Yankees 0

AMERICAN LEAGUE WILD CARD GAME

Wednesday, October 7 (Time Central)

Chicago at Pittsburgh, 7:08 p.m.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WILD CARD GAME

Thursday, October 8 (Time Central)

Texas at Toronto, 2:37 p.m.

ALDS - GAME 1

Houston at Kansas City, 6:37 p.m.

ALDS - GAME 1

Friday, October 9 (Time Central)

Texas at Toronto, 11:45 a.m.

ALDS - GAME 2

Houston at Kansas City, 2:45 p.m.

ALDS - GAME 2

New York at Los Angeles, 8:45 p.m.

NLDS - GAME 1

Saturday, October 10 (Time Central)

New York at Los Angeles, 8:07 p.m.

NLDS - GAME 2

Sunday, October 11 (Time Central)

Kansas City at Houston, 3:10 p.m.

ALDS - GAME 3

Toronto at Texas, 7:10 p.m.

ALDS - GAME 3