The second-seeded New York Yankees swept their series against the third-seeded Minnesota Twins to clinch their 17th ALCS appearance.

In the top of the ninth, the Yankees extended their lead to 7–0, via a leadoff homer by Gio Urshela and another RBI by Torres, this one coming on a fielder's choice, as LeMahieu scored from third on a groundout.

Jonathan Loáisiga concluded matters, pitching the bottom of the ninth, with the game ending on a Michael Brantley fly out to Cameron Maybin as the Yankees took a 1–0 series lead.

Houston scored first, as Carlos Correa doubled in Alex Bregman who had singled to lead off the bottom of the second inning.

With runners on first and third and nobody out, Yankee left-hander CC Sabathia entered the game in relief of Adam Ottavino and threw 20 pitches to five batters, retiring two, before leaving with a shoulder injury to a standing ovation from fans and players on both teams.

The Yankees removed Sabathia from their roster the next day, rendering him ineligible to pitch in the World Series and ending his storied 19-year career.

The Yankees were unable to score in the bottom of the ninth, as Roberto Osuna concluded matters by retiring Gleyber Torres on a flyout to Springer and the Astros were a victory away from playing Washington in the World Series.

[12] Pitcher CC Sabathia, who had left Game 4 with a shoulder injury, was removed from the Yankees' postseason roster and replaced by Ben Heller.

[15] The Astros took an early 1–0 lead, as George Springer led off the game with an infield single, went to second on a passed ball, advanced to third on a ground out, and then scored on a wild pitch.

With no scoring other than in the first inning, Aroldis Chapman set down the side in order in the top of the ninth, earning his second save this postseason, as he retired Springer on a groundout to Gio Urshela to send the series back to Houston and extend the Yankees' season.

In the top of the ninth inning, an Urshela single was followed two batters later by a DJ LeMahieu home run that tied the game at four.

After George Springer extended the bottom of the ninth with a two-out walk, Jose Altuve hit a walk-off two-run home run off Aroldis Chapman to win the game and send the Astros to their second World Series in three years; it was also the second time in two years that Chapman gave up the winning hit in a tied ALCS game in the ninth inning.

Taubman had previously complained about the fact that one of the reporters in the group had a practice of tweeting out a domestic violence hotline number whenever Osuna took the mound for the Astros.

Washington won 1, 2, 6, and the deciding Game 7 at Minute Maid Park in Houston and Houston won all three games at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. On December 18, 2019, the Yankees signed free agent pitcher Gerrit Cole away from the Astros,[22] only sparking the recent rivalry between the two clubs which started during the 2017 American League Championship Series.

The animosity between the two teams only grew stronger in January of the next year, due to the revelations of the Houston Astros sign stealing scandal during the 2017 season.

A week later, the New York Mets and Carlos Beltrán, who was hired as their manager in the 2019–2020 offseason, mutually agreed to part ways, as he was the only then-Astros player called out by name for his involvement in the scheme.

While conspiracy theories had been floated about the 2019 ALCS by various members of media and players, there was found to be no proof of any wrongdoing in said series.

[24][25][26] Houston replaced Luhnow with Tampa Bay Rays vice president of baseball operations James Click, while veteran manager Dusty Baker took over for Hinch.

In that series, Aroldis Chapman also gave up a game- and-series clinching home run to Rays outfielder Mike Brosseau in the 8th inning.

The Rays beat the Astros in the ALCS that year, but Houston rebounded in 2021 with a victory over the Boston Red Sox (who had beaten the Yankees in the Wild Card Game) in six games in the ALCS to become the first AL team to make three World Series appearances in a five-year span since the Yankees in the early 21st century.