Both American League Division Series will begin on Thursday with the Cleveland Indians hosting the New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox on the road against the Houston Astros.
The Indians will send Trevor Bauer to the mound, and the Yankees will counter with Sonny Gray. The Astros have Justin Verlander on the mound for Game 1, while the Red Sox will have their ace Chris Sale throwing for them.
Here is a look at the four pitchers who will be starting. This includes how they did in the regular season, if they are entering the playoffs hot or cold, how they have fared against the opponent they are facing on Thursday during the regular season, and if they have experienced prior playoff successes.
Trevor Bauer
Bauer gets the start for the Indians to begin the series. He went 17-9 with a 4.19 ERA in 32 games (31 starts) during the regular season, but he pitched much better towards the end. Since July 27, Bauer has appeared in 13 games (12 starts). He has a 9-1 record with a 2.42 ERA in those 13 appearances. In 78 innings, he has struck out 85 and walked just 19.
He made two starts against the Yankees this season (both in August) winning both games. In 13 innings, he gave up just two runs including a seven-inning, one-run start in Cleveland on August 4. He has a career 0-2 record with a 5.27 ERA in five games (four starts) during the postseason. He was the losing pitcher in Games 2 and 5 of last year's World Series against the Chicago Cubs.
Sonny Gray
After originally announcing he was unclear who would start Game 1, Yankees manager Joe Girardi will send Sonny Gray to the mound rather than Masahiro Tanaka. The Yankees acquired Gray in a trade from the Oakland Athletics on July 31. With the two teams, he went 10-12 with a 3.55 ERA in 27 starts during the regular season.
The 27-year-old didn't receive a lot of run support in his 11 starts with the Yankees, so his 4-7 record is a bit deceiving. He had a 3.72 ERA in his time with New York and struck out 59 batters in 65.1 innings. He did not pitch well though in two of his last three starts. On September 17, he gave up five earned runs in four innings against the Baltimore Orioles.
In his last regular season start on September 28, he gave up six earned runs in 4.2 innings against the Tampa Bay Rays.
He has made three starts against Cleveland this season, the first two as a member of the Athletics. He went 1-2 in those starts allowing nine earned runs in 16.2 innings. He gave up four runs (two earned) in a loss to the Indians in his first start with the Yankees on August 3.
Gray has only appeared in the playoffs in 2013 with Oakland. He made two starts in the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers. Despite a 2.08 ERA in those starts, he went 0-1.
Chris Sale
Unsurprisingly, Sale gets the Game 1 start for the Red Sox. He went 17-9 with a 2.90 ERA in 32 starts during his first regular season with Boston.
He struck out 308 hitters becoming the first American League pitcher since Pedro Martinez in 1999 to finish with 300+ strikeouts.
According to Sports Illustrated, as dominant as Sale has been this year, he enters Game 1 looking to rebound from what has not been a great ending to the regular season, especially by his standards. In his last eight starts, the 28-year-old went 3-4 with a 4.30 ERA.
Sale did not face the Astros during the regular season. He has been lights out in his six career starts against the Astros going 5-1 with a 1.31 ERA.
This will be the six-time All-Star's first-ever postseason experience. He spent his first seven seasons with the Chicago White Sox who did not advance to the playoffs in any of those years.
Justin Verlander
Verlander will start Game 1 for the Astros and has been nothing short of incredible since joining Houston via a trade from the Detroit Tigers on August 31. During the regular season, in his time with both Detroit and the Astros, he went 15-8 with a 3.36 ERA in 33 starts.
The 34-year-old made just five starts with the Astros, but he was the winning pitcher in every one of those games. He pitched 34 innings and gave up just four earned runs for a 1.06 ERA. He allowed only 17 hits and five walks while striking out 43.
Verlander faced the Red Sox twice this season, both times coming while he was still with Detroit. He had no decisions in both games but pitched well giving up three earned runs in 12 innings.
He has plenty of postseason experience from his time with the Tigers. Verlander has made 16 starts and is 7-5 with a 3.39 ERA in playoff action. He has pitched his best in the American League Division Series, as he is 4-0 with a 2.15 ERA in eight career starts.
