Astros sweep Yankees to advance to World Series

The Houston Astros defeated the New York Yankees 6-5 in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday to advance to the World Series.

Houston overcame an early 3-0 deficit with a four-run third inning that included a three-run homer from rookie Jeremy Pena, who was named ALCS MVP after the victory.

The two teams exchanged leads throughout the contest before a fielding error on a double-play attempt from Gleyber Torres occurred in the seventh inning.

The error wound up costing the Yankees, with Yordan Alvarez driving in the game-tying run before Alex Bregman delivered the eventual winning RBI.

"These are the greatest guys I've ever been around," Astros manager Dusty Baker said following the win. "They come to play every day, all day."

The veteran skipper said returning to the World Series is the "proudest" moment of his 55-year career in baseball.

Veteran second baseman Jose Altuve also shared his excitement and praised his teammates.

"We're going to the World Series. Special team, special guys out there working hard every day to make this dream come true," Altuve said.

It's the second consecutive season the Astros have won the AL championship and the fourth time they've done it since 2017.

Houston hasn't lost a game in this year's playoffs, making it just the third team to reach the World Series with an undefeated record in the wild-card era, according to MLB.com's Sarah Langs.

The Astros' seven-game playoff winning streak is also tied for the second longest to start a postseason.

The Astros will play the Philadelphia Phillies in the Fall Classic.