LIVE: Yankees-Guardians ALCS Game 5 (TBS)

CLEVELAND -- Finishing the job has not always been easy for the Yankees in this ALCS.

They coughed up Game 3 when they were one out away from victory. They darn near coughed up Game 4, too. But all that matters now is that on Saturday night, in Game 5 at Progressive Field, they’ve got a chance to finish the job they came to do in this best-of-seven series against the Guardians.

One win away from their first AL pennant in 15 years, the Yankees ooze confidence even amid the self-inflicted difficulty and late-inning drama that has defined the Cleveland segment of this ALCS.

And they know that nothing matters but the bottom line.

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“It feels like nothing until we get it done,” said slugger Giancarlo Stanton, whose three-run homer in the sixth inning helped power the Yanks to an 8-6 victory in Game 4 on Friday night. “As far as I’m concerned, we haven’t done nothing.”

Well, let’s not go that far. The Yankees have certainly had some standout performances in this series, and one of the biggest was Carlos Rodón’s terrific outing in Game 1, when he showed he had learned from his previous playoff foible against the Royals and harnessed his emotions in a six-inning outing, allowing just a run on three hits with nine strikeouts.

“I stayed within,” said Rodón, “and just controlled what was in front of me.”

If Rodón can do so again, he can point the Yanks toward the Fall Classic. But as we’ve seen over the past two nights, the Guardians are not going to let them waltz there. With a pesky, contact-oriented offense, the Guards staged ninth and 10th innings for the ages in Game 3, then they erased a 6-2 deficit and later brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth inning of Game 4.

“We're going to show up ready to win,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “That's who these guys are. Our backs are against the wall, we play our best baseball. We don't quit. This team has no quit in it. It hasn't all year long.”

Vogt raised eyebrows by pulling his No. 1 starter, Tanner Bibee, four outs into Game 2. The benefit of that quick hook is that Bibee was available to come back for Game 5 on short rest.

“Just one less light day pretty much,” Bibee said of his altered schedule. “It's not like I went out there and threw 100 pitches and about to go out there and do it again. I threw 39 pitches. I feel good. I'm ready to go.”

Still, despite Bibee getting the start and the Guards’ best-in-baseball bullpen showing serious vulnerability of late, Vogt is bound to be aggressive in an elimination game.

Can the Guards claw their way back yet again, or is it time for another round of bubbly for the Bronx Bombers? If Games 3 and 4 are any indication, the answer will come in an entertaining way.

When is the game and how can I watch it?

Game 5 of the American League Championship Series is live right now and can be seen on TBS, truTV and Max.

All games are available in the U.S. on MLB.TV (authentication to a participating Pay TV provider is required). Live games are also available in select countries outside the U.S. For full details, click here.

Who are the starting pitchers?

Yankees: Rodón will aim to send the Yankees to the World Series, as he faces Cleveland for the second time in this series. It will be the lefty's third start of the postseason, as he also took the loss in Game 2 of the ALDS against Kansas City.

Guardians: Bibee is back on short rest, and it’s clear that he is still hanging on to the frustrations from his 1 1/3-inning start in Game 2 on Tuesday. Bibee gave up three runs (two earned) with one walk and two strikeouts in the limited time he had on the mound. The righty is ready to use those lingering feelings as fuel in what could be his last start of the 2024 season.

What are the starting lineups?

Yankees: The red-hot Giancarlo Stanton, who is slashing .300/.400/.767 in eight postseason games, moves up to the cleanup spot.

1. Gleyber Torres, 2B
2. Juan Soto, RF
3. Aaron Judge, CF
4. Giancarlo Stanton, DH
5. Jazz Chisholm Jr., 3B
6. Anthony Rizzo, 1B
7. Anthony Volpe, SS
8. Austin Wells, C
9. Alex Verdugo, LF

Guardians: The Yankees are going back to a lefty, so the Guardians turn to some of their righty bats in the starting lineup.

1. Steven Kwan, LF
2. David Fry, DH
3. José Ramírez, 3B
4. Lane Thomas, CF
5. Josh Naylor, 1B
6. Jhonkensy Noel, RF
7. Bo Naylor, C
8. Andrés Giménez, 2B
9. Brayan Rocchio, SS

Yankees: After creatively navigating Game 4, the Yanks will still have a taxed bullpen for Game 5. Clay Holmes almost certainly will be unavailable after working four of the past five days, as will Tim Hill. The same is likely true for Tommy Kahnle, who has worked three of four, including his second career postseason save on Friday. The Yanks kept Luke Weaver out in the ninth inning, but he did begin to warm up at one point. Their freshest arm is Marcus Stroman, who has yet to pitch this postseason.

Guardians: In an ideal world, Cleveland could turn to its trusty Big Four: Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Emmanuel Clase, to avoid elimination. But now there may be some question marks. Smith showed signs of fatigue in Game 4. Clase blew his second save in as many days. The Guardians know that they’ve used their bullpen to the max this season, and now they may be running out of gas. But in order to keep this season alive, the big four will have to find a second gear to get them to the finish line.

Any injuries of note?

Yankees: Ian Hamilton sustained a left calf strain during Game 3 and is unavailable for the remainder of the postseason. Left-hander Nestor Cortes (left elbow flexor strain) is on track to be available for a potential World Series run. Infielder DJ LeMahieu (right hip impingement) is working out as a reserve option.

Guardians: Game 1 starter Alex Cobb was diagnosed with a lower back strain, which caused him to be removed from the ALCS roster on Tuesday. He was replaced with Ben Lively. Infielder/outfielder Tyler Freeman strained his oblique during a workout last week.

Who is hot and who is not?

Yankees: Stanton is enjoying a Reggie Jackson-like postseason. In fact, he and Mr. October are the only Yankees players to hit four or more homers in multiple postseasons. Torres stroked another two hits in Game 4 and is batting .281 with an .838 OPS this postseason. Rizzo was 2-for-4 in Game 4 and is batting .455 during the ALCS. One of the coldest Bombers bats belongs to Chisholm, who went hitless in Game 4 to lower his playoff average to .129.

Guardians: The most optimistic takeaway from Game 4 for the Guardians was that Ramírez and Naylor -- the team’s most threatening bats -- finally came alive. The duo combined for five RBIs in the loss, and each played a huge role in the Guardians' work to overcome a four-run deficit late in the game. If Cleveland is going to force a Game 6, these two will have to carry that momentum into Saturday night’s matchup.

Anything else fans might want to know?

• Cleveland and New York played six games this season, with the Yankees winning four and outscoring the Guardians, 37-22. The Yankees swept an April 13 doubleheader in Cleveland, but the Guardians handed the Bombers an 8-7, walk-off loss in 10 innings on April 14. New York won two of three games against the Guardians at Yankee Stadium from Aug. 20-22.
• Only the Yankees and Dodgers have faced off more in postseason history than the Yankees and Cleveland. Their most recent meeting was the 2022 ALDS, when the Yanks rallied from a 2-1 series deficit thanks to strong performances from Gerrit Cole in Game 4 and Cortes in Game 5. Other series include: 2020 Wild Card Series, 2017 ALDS, 2007 ALDS, 1998 ALCS and 1997 ALDS.
• The Yankees’ current 14-season drought without a pennant is tied for the second-longest such streak in franchise history, behind only their first 18 seasons (1903-20).