David Ortiz: "Yankees have a new daddy, the Houston Astros"

The Houston Astros are proving to be one of the toughest opponents to beat in the MLB. In the words of David Ortiz, "Be careful what you wish for." New York Yankees fans chanted "We want Houston" outside Yankees Stadium after progressing versus the Cleveland Guardians. For the Bronx Bombers, this is a revenge mission after years of suffering at the hands of the Astros.

The Astros have reached their sixth straight American League Championship Series. The team finished with the best record in the AL with a whopping 106 regular-season wins. The team also finished second in home runs (214) and allowed the fewest runs (518) in the AL.

David "Big Papi" Ortiz made his views clear on the series.

"'Be careful what you wish for. I think the Yankees have a new daddy, the Houston Astros," Ortiz said.

"The Yankees need to stay away from (Yordan) Alvarez. He's the hardest-hitter in baseball... He's the one in charge of producing, so I would not pitch to him."

Make no mistake, this is a nightmare matchup for the Yankees. The Cleveland Guardians did not possess the offensive power the Houston Astros have.

The Astros also have home-field advantage, meaning the Yankees will have to steal at least one game at Minute Maid Park.

The Yankees won just two of their seven games versus the Astros during the regular season.

Houston Astros' Yordan Alvarez has been one of the hottest hitters during the 2022 MLB Playoffs

Division Series - Seattle Mariners v Houston Astros - Game Two

The Astros possess one of the hottest power hitters in the playoffs in Yordan Alvarez. The left-handed Dominican slugger stuttered a bit towards the end of the season, but has found his form in the playoffs.

Alvarez had a .306/.406/.613 slash line with 27 home runs and 97 RBIs this season. After just four postseason games, he already has two home runs and seven RBIs. He was a key figure in their offense during the sweep of the Seattle Mariners.

"For the THIRD time in six seasons, the Yankees-Astros will square off in the ALCS" - ESPN

On the defensive side, the Astros have the tools required to silence Aaron Judge and the Yankees offense. Justin Verlander and Framber Valdez have been outstanding this season. Both starting pitchers were selected to the All-Star Game in 2022. If they continue to pitch at a high level, it will be a long series for the Yankees.

This is developing into one of the best rivalries in modern-day baseball. If the Yankees are to have any chance of progressing, they will need to defeat their nemesis four times in the next six games. The only thing standing between the New York Yankees and their first World Series appearance since 2009 is the Houston Astros.