LIVE: Yankees-Guardians ALCS Game 4 (TBS)
CLEVELAND -- Everything can change in a New York minute, and, as it turns out, in a Cleveland minute.
Because in one minute, the Yankees saw Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton power slam their way to what appeared to be a monumental 3-0 advantage in this best-of-seven American League Championship Series. But in the next minute, Jhonkensy Noel and David Fry reminded everyone that -- oh, right -- the Guardians are here for a reason.
So we seem to have a series now that the Guards claimed a gripping Game 3 by a 7-5 score in 10 innings on Thursday at Progressive Field.
The Yankees became the first team in MLB postseason history to be trailing by multiple runs in the eighth inning or later and hit back-to-back homers to take the lead. They did it against the best closer in the game in Emmanuel Clase. And they lost anyway. That tells you what wasn¡¯t all that obvious in two games at Yankee Stadium, but it is now: For the Yanks to grab their first AL pennant since 2009, they¡¯re going to have to beat one heck of a pesky Cleveland club that adds up to more than the sum of its parts.
¡°We never quit,¡± Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. ¡°We got punched in the teeth pretty hard there in the eighth, and our guys stepped up huge for the guy [Clase] that carried us all year long. That was really fun to see.¡±
For the fun to continue, the Guardians would surely welcome a strong return to action from young Gavin Williams, their 24-year-old Game 4 starter who hasn¡¯t pitched in a game since way back on Sept. 22. Williams has electric stuff, but he had an erratic year, so -- stop us if you¡¯ve heard this before -- it would not be a shock to see Vogt aggressively go to his bullpen, which, despite Clase¡¯s uncharacteristic homer-prone ways in this postseason, remains his club¡¯s greatest strength.
But the real pressure here might be on a Yankees team that was an overwhelming favorite to dispatch yet another AL Central club and suddenly just got punched in the mouth. Now that they¡¯ve actually lost a game to the Guardians, more attention will be placed upon the Yankees¡¯ .120 (3-for-25) showing with runners in scoring position in this ALCS, as well as their .150 (9-for-60) mark with RISP this postseason.
The Yankees, who will start rookie Luis Gil in this game, draw so many walks (six in this round, to be exact) and have so much talent that they consistently generate opportunities for themselves. But actually cashing them in will be the key to regaining a comfortable ALCS advantage.
¡°This is what we've been great at all year and what that room has been great at all year,¡± Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. ¡°We've had some tough losses that we've bounced back from. That stings when you get left there like that, especially after you battle back against them like that. So you sit in it for a minute, but we'll be ready to roll [Friday].¡±
When is the game and how can I watch it?
Game 4 of the American League Championship Series is live now 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: Luis Gil will make his postseason debut, taking the mound for the first time since Sept. 28 against Pittsburgh. A leading candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year Award after going 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA during the regular season, Gil has faced the Guardians once this year, on Aug. 20 in New York. It was a rough outing for the right-hander, who permitted three runs and three hits (including a homer by Brayan Rocchio) while walking six batters. But when Gil is on, he can be unhittable: his 17 starts of one or zero runs allowed ranked as the fourth-most by a Yankee, behind only Jack Chesbro (18 in 1904), Whitey Ford (18 in 1964) and Ron Guidry (18 in 1978).
Guardians: Gavin Williams will make his postseason debut on Friday. He was carried in the Guardians¡¯ bullpen during the ALDS against the Tigers in case Cleveland would need a long-relief option, but he was never put into a game. It¡¯s been since Sept. 22 since the righty made his last start. At times this season, Williams looked like the 2023 version of himself, dominating opponents while hardly allowing a hit. At other times, he¡¯s struggled to get through the first few innings of a game. The fact that he missed the first half of the season due to a right elbow injury played a role in the rust he experienced this year, but now the Guardians will have to hope that those struggles are behind him.
What are the starting lineups?
Yankees: The Yankees move Jazz Chisholm into the cleanup spot against a right-hander.
- Gleyber Torres, 2B
- Juan Soto, RF
- Aaron Judge, CF
- Jazz Chisholm Jr., 3B
- Giancarlo Stanton, DH
- Anthony Rizzo, 1B
- Anthony Volpe, SS
- Austin Wells, C
- Alex Verdugo, LF
Guardians: With a righty on the mound for the Yankees, the Guardians stick to the lineup they had in Game 3.
- Steven Kwan, LF
- Kyle Manzardo, DH
- Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez, 3B
- Josh Naylor, 1B
- Lane Thomas, CF
- Daniel Schneemann, RF
- Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez, 2B
- Austin Hedges, C
- Brayan Rocchio, SS
How will the bullpens line up after the starter?
Yankees: The Yanks will have some usage concerns, as both Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes have pitched in all seven games New York has played this postseason. That doesn¡¯t necessarily mean they will be unavailable, but the cupboard is beginning to run thin. The injury to Ian Hamilton in Game 3 doesn¡¯t help matters, either. It could be time for the Yanks to try and get some innings out of Marcus Stroman, who has yet to pitch in this ALCS.
Guardians: Even though Clase had an uncharacteristically sour night, the goal will still be to get the ball into the closer¡¯s hand as effortlessly as possible. The Guardians will try to lean on the Big Four -- Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Clase -- as often as they can.
Any injuries of note?
Yankees: Hamilton sustained a left calf injury during Game 3 and has been replaced on the ALCS roster by right-hander Mark Leiter Jr.
Guardians: Game 1 starter Alex Cobb was diagnosed with a lower back strain, which prompted him to be removed from the ALCS roster on Tuesday. He was replaced by Ben Lively. Infielder/outfielder Tyler Freeman strained his oblique during a workout and was removed from the ALDS roster and was left off of the ALCS roster.
Who is hot and who is not?
Yankees: Has Judge turned the corner? The presumptive AL MVP has homered in his last two games after going 2-for-15 through the first five games of this postseason. Stanton continues to be a postseason monster. His three homers in the playoffs lead all AL players. Volpe has also been a tough out for opponents, boasting a .483 on-base percentage in the playoffs. Wells has struggled at the plate, posting a 2-for-26 (.077) mark after going hitless in Game 3.
Guardians: It seems obvious to go with the heroes from Thursday night, but how can we ignore Noel and Fry? Fry has had a couple of clutch hits during the postseason, including a big home run in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Tigers before his walk-off homer against the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS. And Noel has been waiting for one big hit to break him out of his six-week slump. Maybe his game-tying blast in the bottom of the ninth with two outs was the answer he has been looking for.
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 Yanks 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).