Before Carlos Correa even stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 11th inning to clobber his walk-off homer to end Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, the Houston Astros had already gained an upper hand. By taking advantage of Yankees starter James Paxton’s uneven command and forcing his early exit on Sunday, the Astros triggered a chain of events that eventually led to the decisive J.A. Happ-Correa matchup.

Happ was the ninth Yankees pitcher of the game, setting a new franchise postseason record. The Astros, on the other hand, needed only six pitchers because their standout starter, Justin Verlander, held steady long enough to pitch into the seventh inning with the score tied.

“If you can kind of put some pressure on them and you get some matchups in your favor, they’re going to continue to make those moves,” Astros Manager A.J. Hinch said of the Yankees after his team’s 3-2 win to even the best-of-seven series at one game apiece.

Two games into the A.L.C.S., one theme is already clear: With the Yankees and Astros fielding two of the best offenses in baseball, the margins for error on the mound are extremely thin — and the differences in the two clubs’ pitching staffs only makes the decision-making harder.