HOUSTON — The Houston Astros hang their championship flags in two vertical columns on the light poles above left field at Minute Maid Park. All of them are blue except for an orange one, from 2005, that signifies their only trip to the World Series. There is no color for a championship, because the Astros don’t have one.

This might be their best chance. The Astros will host the Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series on Saturday night, earning the date with seven overpowering innings from Justin Verlander in a 7-1 victory on Friday. Houston had lost the last three games in the Bronx.

“This is a difficult team across the way,” Astros Manager A. J. Hinch said. “We’re also a difficult team to close out.”

True enough, especially if the Astros’ late flurry in Game 6 — a four-run eighth — has truly sparked the majors’ best offense, which had hit just .147 through Game 5. Historically, though, the Astros are a team that struggles to close playoff series, and Friday nearly followed the same script.