Aaron Judge certainly provided that for New York Yankees in Game 3 of their American League Championship Series against Houston Astros on Tuesday — and didn’t he need it.

Trailing 2-0 in the best-of-seven series, the rookie sensation ended his home-run drought and took two brilliant catches to cap off a memorable night as the Yankees won 8-1 to pull a game back.

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Judge, who made history as the first rookie to hit 50 home runs in the regular season, was having one of the all-time worst post-seasons with the bat. He entered the clash at Yankee Stadium having struck out 20 times in the playoffs, the most ever for a player before the World Series.

That would soon change, but his first big play came in the fourth innings with the Astros at-bat.

With no outs and CC Sabathia on the mound, Yuli Gurriel went opposite field, sending a shot to the wall that Judge quickly tracked down.

Reaching out with his left hand, Judge plucked the ball out of the sky before crashing against the wall, with initial concerns he had damaged his shoulder.

But Judge soldiered on and was at it again next innings.

The 25-year-old hit 52 home runs in the regular season and is favourite to be named MVP, but he’s struggled badly in the postseason, managing only one homer against the Twins in the AL Wild Card Game.

He now has two after sending a 93.4 mph fastball from Astors reliever Will Harris 371 yards to just clear the left-field wall, adding another three runs for the Yankees.

He finished one for three, one home-run, 3 RBIs and two strikeouts.

Judge had one more big play left in him.

An innings later in the top of the fifth, Cameron Maybin drove the ball hard into right field where it looked it would fall short of the outfielder. But a diving Judge managed to get down to it and make the catch, preserving the Yankees 8-0 lead and snuffing out any slim hopes of an Astros comeback.

Sabathia, allowed three hits over six scoreless innings for his first postseason win in five years. The Yankees stopped a seven- game ALCS losing streak dating to Sabathia’s victory over Texas in 2010 - when Judge had just started his freshman year at Fresno State.

At home after a pair of 2-1 losses in Houston, the Yankees led 8-0 after four innings. Houston scored on a bases-loaded walk in the ninth before postseason star Jose Altuve grounded into a game-ending double play with the bases loaded. Sonny Gray starts Game 4 for New York in the best-of-seven series on 11 days’ rest Wednesday against Lance McCullers Jr. The Yankees are 4-0 at home this postseason.

Frazier got the Yankees rolling, taking an awkward hack at a low, outside fastball and slicing it into the seats.

“That was unorthodox, but I’ll take a hundred like that,” Frazier said.

On the first chilly night of the autumn with a game-time temperature of 57, Sabathia relied on the sharp, slow slider that has helped revive the former flame-thrower’s career.

Pitching with caution to Houston’s dangerous lineup, he walked four, struck out five and pitched shutout ball for the first time in 21 career postseason starts. During the regular season, he was 9-0 in 10 starts following Yankees’ losses. Adam Warren followed with two hitless innings. Houston has just 15 hits over the first three games and is batting .169 in the matchup.

The sides will play two more games on Wednesday and Thursday at Yankee Stadium before the series moves to Houston for the final two games.