CLEVELAND (AP) — A derailment on an October night seemed unusual for the storied history of the Yankees. A second and relive the nightmare against the Red Sox in the 2004 American League Championship Series? Forget it.
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Star closer Emmanuel Clase imploded once again, allowing two runs in the ninth inning, and New York moved one step closer to the World Series, defeating the Cleveland Guardians 8-6 on Friday.
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How was the game between the Yankees and the Guardians defined?
Gleyber Torres hit an RBI single and New York scored the go-ahead run due to an error by another Venezuelan, shortstop Brayanf Rocchio, after getting mixed up with a ground ball from Mexican Alex Verdugo.
"It wasn't a perfect encounter, but we showed toughness and resilience to win," mentioned Yankees manager Aaron Boone.
The ninth inning brought a new nightmare for Clase (0-2). The Dominican, who was the best reliever of the season in Major League Baseball, failed for the second consecutive night. "I haven't been able to execute my pitches," acknowledged the closer. "We have to give them credit, because they have been able to have good at-bats."
Clase had already allowed two consecutive home runs in the eighth inning of Game 3, but was saved when the Guardians hit two-run homers in the ninth and tenth. On Friday night, the Yankees managed three singles in the ninth inning against the right-handed pitcher.
Stanton once again powered the Yankees' offense.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run homer and Dominican Juan Soto added a two-run shot for the Yankees, who can advance to their 41st World Series this Saturday, with a win in the fifth game. Austin Wells also contributed with a home run for New York.
Cleveland is down 3-1 in the American League Championship Series, and they are at risk of being eliminated for the second time in this postseason. They survived in the division series to overcome Detroit and now they will have to win three in a row—two at Yankee Stadium— to have any chance of ending their 76-year drought without winning the World Series.
On a night full of errors, the New York bullpen almost wastes a lead in the final innings for the second consecutive game. With the score 6-2 in favor of the Yankees, the Guardians scored three runs in the seventh inning, one in the eighth, and threatened in the ninth, putting two runners on base.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone turned to Tommy Kahnle for the final three outs, and the right-handed pitcher managed to shut down Cleveland, something that the New York relievers couldn't do on Thursday.
The error by the Yankees in the bottom of the eighth inning, when it seemed like they were going to escape Cleveland's threat, seems unacceptable for a Major League team, much less for one that is in the American League final: reliever Mark Leiter Jr. tried to handle a ground ball, but couldn't do it correctly, sending an awkward throw to first base and Anthony Rizzo couldn't catch the ball cleanly.
There the game was tied 6-6, but Clase’s poor pitching and Rocchio’s error in the fielding allowed the “Bronx Bombers” to score the two key runs in the top of the ninth inning.