The American League Championship Series picks up in Cleveland with the New York Yankees up 2-0 on the Cleveland Guardians after their big bats jumped all over the AL Central champs in the first two games in the Bronx. Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto both hit home runs in the 5-2 Game 1 win, and then Aaron Judge went deep in New York’s 6-3 win in Game 2. The Yankees haven’t been to the World Series since 2009, and they’re halfway to their 41st AL pennant in the 2024 ALCS.
With the series now in the Midwest, the Guardians have an opportunity to get back in the series on home turf, where they’ve been good all year. At 50-30, Cleveland had the best regular-season home record in the American League. Also, the Guardians took two of three games at Progressive Field in the ALDS against the Tigers.
The Yankees have starter Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 3.86 ERA, 4.2 IP, 4 K 1 BB in 2024 postseason) on the mound for his second start of the playoffs against Matthew Boyd, who hasn’t allowed a run in his two postseason outings (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6.2 IP 10, K 3 BB) for the Guardians.
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Weaver strikes Fry out and the Guardians are down to their last three outs. It will be José Ramírez, Josh Naylor and Lane Thomas in the bottom of the ninth.
Tommy Kahnle gets the second out but walks Steven Kwan and then gets the hook. Luke Weaver is coming in to face David Fry.
OK, there’s a double from Will Brennan. Guardians have a tying run in scoring position with one out.
Emmanuel Clase in the regular season: 74 1/3 innings, 5 earned runs, 2 home runs allowed
Emmanuel Clase in the postseason: 6 innings, 6 earned runs, 3 home runs allowed
The inning finally ends on a sliding catch by Daniel Schneemann, but the damage is done. Cleveland needs a comeback or will face a possible sweep on Friday.
Call confirmed. Bad times for the Guardians, with Clase now allowing a single to Jazz Chisholm. The best reliever in baseball hasn’t gotten an out in three batters.
Wow, now the Guardians are challenging that Stanton didn’t touch first base on the homer.
Yankees 4, Guardians 3
Emmanuel Clase allowed two home runs all regular season. He just allowed back-to-back homers to Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. It’s his third homer allowed in the postseason.
The Yankees are suddenly six outs away from taking a 3-0 lead in the ALCS.
Yankees 3, Guardians 3
The Guardians can say they did the smart thing. They can say they brought their best guy in. They cannot say it worked out.
After going up 0-2, Emmanuel Clase allows a game-tying home run to Aaron Judge, a frozen rope to right field. It’s a new ballgame in Cleveland, with a sweep suddenly on the horizon again
Gaddis walks Juan Soto, and Guardians manager Stephen Vogt is indeed bringing in Clase to face Judge with two outs. This could be the game right here.
Emmanuel Clase is already warming up in the bottom of the eighth. There’s a good chance he comes in if Gaddis reaches Aaron Judge in the lineup.
Kahnle keeps the seventh inning scoreless and now it goes to the Yankees offense, with six outs remaining.
Tim Mayza allows a leadoff walk to David Fry, and that will end his day. Tommy Kahnle comes on with one on and none out.
Herrin gets a flyout from Verdugo to end the frame. It looks like it will be Hunter Gaddis in the eighth.
Tim Herrin was a strike away from ending the inning after a Jon Berti double play wiped out a leadoff walk, but Anthony Volpe extends the inning with a double. Alex Verdugo will now try to bring him in.
Kwan grounds out to end the inning. The Yankees still need two runs over the next three innings, with Tim Herrin (Dominant Guardians Reliever No. 2) coming in for Cade Smith.
Rocchio pops out in foul territory for the second out of the inning. Now up: leadoff hitter Steven Kwan.
Tim Mayza walks Austin Hedges (career OBP: .243), and now the Guardians have two on with one out. Mayza gets a mound visit but stays in to face Brayan Rocchio.
Guardians 3, Yankees 1
Lane Thomas stole third base, then Andrés Giménez snuck a groundball past a Yankees infield that was playing in. New York’s task just got harder.
Wait, now Hamilton is leaving the game due to an injury after covering first base on the challenged play. He threw a warm-up pitch, and it went badly. If that’s a multi-game injury, it would be a significant blow for the Yankees.
