When Justin Verlander was laboring and needed 45 pitches to get through two innings, Astros manager Dusty Baker was worried he'd have to go to his bullpen early.

Instead, the veteran ace buckled down and found a groove, striking out 11 in six strong innings to lead Houston over the New York Yankees 4-2 in their AL Championship Series opener Wednesday night.

"This guy, he has mental toughness," Baker said. "When he's down and out and it looks like you got him in trouble, this guy, he can dial it up."