NEW YORK -- There’s still life to the Yankees’ bats after all.

Giancarlo Stanton handed New York a 2-0 first-inning lead against the Astros in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Sunday, the first time they’ve led Houston at the end of a full inning through the whole series. In fact, it’s the first time they’ve led the Astros following a full inning at any point in 2022 -- in seven regular-season meetings between the two teams, the Yankees led twice, both on walk-off hits by Aaron Judge.

After three frustrating ALCS games, including a 5-0 shutout at Yankee Stadium in Game 3 on Saturday, the Yankees seemed to have made the adjustments they needed to wake up a potent-yet-underperforming offense. They also woke up their home crowd in the process.

It started with a leadoff single by Harrison Bader, who’s been a bright spot for this offense even in tough times. Anthony Rizzo moved him to second on yet another hit by pitch before Stanton drove a hanging slider by Lance McCullers Jr. to right field, bringing in a run as the Yankee Stadium crowd roared. Rizzo then scored on a Gleyber Torres bloop hit.

The fans’ hunger was justified. In the first three games of the ALCS, New York struck out 41 times and managed just 12 hits off the Astros’ mighty pitching staff.

It seemed like the tides had shifted for good when the Yankees added another run in the second inning on a Rizzo double, making it 3-0.

But the elusive lead was short-lived.

Lefty Nestor Cortes walked two straight batters in the top of the third and surrendered a home run to rookie Jeremy Peña that turned a three-run lead into a tie with nobody out in the frame. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was quick to pull his reliable starter after that, bringing in Wandy Peralta, who yielded a double and a single that put the Astros ahead, 4-3.