Start spreading the news, the wild card New York Yankees have rallied their way into the American League championships series against the Houston Astros

The underdog Yanks have won a record 27 World Series, Houston has never won one, winner faces Chicago Cubs, Washington Senators or the Los Angeles Dodgers

By ARNIE LESHIN Santa Fe Today

Only the pinstripes were missing. But it didn’t matter, for the road grays had New York across the front, and, what has always been the case, the Yankees do not put their names on the back of the jersey.

Who are these guys? Underdogs. Yes, underdogs, and when do you remember the Bronx Bombers being underdogs? And a wild card team after surviving four eliminations came back to down the Cleveland Indians, 5-2, in the deciding game Wednesday night of the American League best-of-five series at Progressive Field.

Now, after bouncing back from two games down and ousting the team with the best record in the majors, they are still the underdogs when they meet up with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park Friday night wearing their road grays. In the regular season, they dropped five of seven to these Astros from a city still moping up from a hurricane.

The arch-rival Boston Red Sox won the American League East. Gone, and their manager, John Farrell, was fired. The other wild card team, the

Minnesota Twins, came to Yankee Stadium for one game and they’re gone, too, even surrendered a 3-0 lead to the guys in pinstripes.

And then came the frustrated Cleveland Indians to become the first team to blow a two-game lead in consecutive post seasons. They have lost six-straight games with a chance to clinch a post-season series. But in the regular-season, they put together a record 22-game win streak.

But the bottom line is that they have not won a World Series since 1948. That’s like 70 years, so picture the home crowd Tribe fanatics watching this one slip away.

Slip away to an unshaken, resilient, tough group like the city it represents, New York, New York.

No Babe here, No Yogi, no Scooter, no Mick, no DiMag, just a crew of young stars and older veterans. Just pinstriped pride. Just proud to be part of the winningest franchise in professional sports. Now they are in quest of a 28th World Series championship, just not as favorites.

Just to stop right here and inform you that Houston, which began along with the New Mets in1962, have never won a World Series. Still in the National League, it played the Oakland A’s in the 2006 WS and were swept in four games.

As for the Yankees, some say they are ahead of schedule, that team owner Hal Steinbrenner said in the pre-season that they’re piecing together some youngsters with All-Star potential to go with veterans like centerfielder Brett Gardner, pitcher CC Sabathia, infielder Todd Frazier from Tom’s River, N.J., and Little League fame, to name a few.

But the young bloods provided the energy. Shortstop Didi Gregorius, who took over as the shortstop when future Hall of Famer Derek Jeter retired in 2014, right fielder Aaron Judge, who clouted 45 home runs and is a prime candidate for Rookie of the Year, but in the post-season, he struggled, going 1-for-20 and striking out 16 times. In game five, he whiffed five times.

But Gregorious was in post-season form. First he blasted a solo shot off of Cy Young candidate Corey Kluber in the first inning, then returned in the third to clout a two-run shot also into the same right field seats.

This gave the 37-year-old Sabathia leeway and he pitched 4 2/3 solid innings, leaving when the Tribe cut the gap to 3-2. Not to forget that Gregorius belted 25 home runs this season, wiping out the club record set by Jeter in 1999.

The bend-but-don’t-break warriors of manager Joe Girardi. He is a very good skipper who was booed at Yankee Stadium in game two versus Cleveland when he didn’t ask for a review on a hit-batter, who then doubled in two runs that cost the Yankees the game. He later said he should have.

But his players respect him and responded with one of those “Win it for Joe,” rallies. The second after reliever Aroldis Chapman struck out the last batter, Girardi hugged his coaches, raced to the field to celebrate with his team, than cheered the champagne party in the clubhouse.

Hard-throwing former Yankee Chapman, who pitched in the World Series last year for the champion Chicago Cubs, became a free agent and wanted to return to the Yanks. They welcomed him back with an $80 million contract and he worked the last two frames.

And Gardner, a Yankee mainstay, had that gritty at-bat in the top of the ninth that symbolized the Yanks. Two on, and looking for insurance runs, he worked hurler Cody Allen for a dozen pitches before lining a two-run single into right field.

One more thing, the Indians might have had the best pitching staff in the league, but New York did a number on Cleveland All-Stars Jose Ramirez and Francisco Linder. Ramirez went 2-for-20, Linder 2-for-18.

Oh, and in the National League, it’s the Cubs taking on the Washington Senators tonight in the nation’s capital to see who plays the Los Angeles Dodgers in the championship series.

NOTE: Arnie Leshin covered the Yankees from 1979 to 1985.