Charlie Morton, Lance McCullers Jr. Blank Yanks; Houston Heads To World Series

Players of the Day for Saturday, October 21, 2017

American League

Morton: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER

The Houston Astros captured their first American League pennant with a seventh-game, 4-0 shutout over the New York Yankees Saturday at Houston's Minute Maid Park.

Charlie Morton, who was pounded by the Yankees in game three's 8-1 New York victory, came back with a sparkling five innings of work, blanking the Yankees on two hits over the first five innings.

Lance McCullers Jr. finished off what Morton started, shutting out the Yankees on one hit over the final four innings. McCullers started game four and pitched well, giving up a run on two hits over six innings in an eventual 6-4 Yankee win.

Morton struck out five and issued one walk. McCullers fanned four and walked one.

McCullers: 4 IP, 1 H, 0 ER

Houston's offense was constructed largely off of three key extra base hits. Evan Gattis stroked a fourth-inning solo homer off Yankee starter, C.C. Sabathia. In the fifth, Jose Altuve touched up reliever Tommy Kahnle with another solo shot. Later in the inning, former Yankee Brian McCann delivered a two-run double off Kahnle to complete the game's scoring.

The Astros were in the National League for 51 years, from 1962–2012, playing under the moniker of the Colt .45s their first three seasons. In 2013, they entered the American League, joining the West division. This is the second World Series appearance for Houston, having taken the National League pennant in 2005, losing the World Series to the Chicago White Sox, four games to none.

Houston won its first division title this season, taking the West by 21 games over the LA Angels. In 2015, the Astros made the playoffs as a Wild Card, just two years after they joined the American League and posted a 51-111 record in 2013.

The Astros are seeking their first World Series championship in franchise history.

National League

There were no National League games on Saturday. The LA Dodgers will host the first two games of the World Series against the Houston Astros beginning Tuesday, October 24. First pitch is scheduled for 8:09 pm ET.

FOX will televise the 2017 World Series live via national over-the-air broadcast.