Yankees vs. Astros ALCS Game 4 Postponed Due to Weather; Will Be Played Thursday

Game 4 of the 2019 American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and Houston Astros was postponed Wednesday because of rain at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

Game 4 will now be played Thursday and Game 5 will shift to Friday. 

After the teams split the first two contests at Minute Maid Park in Houston, the Astros took a 2-1 ALCS lead Tuesday night thanks to another dominant showing from starting pitcher Gerrit Cole.

The 29-year-old right-hander allowed no runs over seven innings with seven strikeouts to lower his 2019 postseason ERA to 0.40 through three starts.

"I think he's the best pitcher in baseball right now," Astros manager AJ Hinch told reporters.

Josh Reddick and Jose Altuve hit home runs to pace the Houston offense in the 4-1 road victory.

On the flip side, an extra day off could help Yankees outfielder Giancarlo Stanton get back in the starting lineup after suffering a strained right quadriceps in Game 1.

"It's not the best, but I'm able to hit," he said Tuesday. "We're at least that far right now. ... Time is not on my side right now. Doing what I can."

Neither team had announced their starting pitcher for Game 4 with the rain looming, and the postponement could reshuffle the rotations. That's especially true for New York, which will likely try to get Masahiro Tanaka back on the mound as soon as possible after his terrific Game 1 outing.

The forecast in the Bronx is far more promising over the next two days. The Weather Channel projects a 10 percent chance of rain Thursday and no precipitation Friday.

Either the Astros or Yankees will face the Washington Nationals in the 2019 World Series. The Nats completed a four-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals in the NLCS on Tuesday night.