The Cleveland Guardians will open their American League Championship Series (ALCS) journey on Monday night against the New York Yankees in the Bronx.
They will play the Yanks without one of their most consistent starters in the regular season: right-hander Ben Lively was left off the roster in a somewhat surprising move.
He had been off the Division Series roster, too, but given the fact the Guards will need to cover more innings in the Championship Series, not needing Lively’s services came as a bit of a shock.
In the end, the team ended up adding a reliever, Pedro Avila, but not Lively.
Manager Stephen Vogt acknowledged it wasn’t an easy decision.
“Just spoke with Stephen Vogt – he said leaving Ben Lively off the roster was a really tough decision, they are still discussing how they’ll use Gavin Williams this series and he LOVES how competitive Rocchio’s at bats have been,” Guardians play-by-play announcer Brendan Gulick posted on X.
Guardians getting some infield work in ahead of ALCS Game 1.
Just spoke with Stephen Vogt – he said leaving Ben Lively off the roster was a really tough decision, they are still discussing how they’ll use Gavin Williams this series and he LOVES how competitive Rocchio’s at bats… pic.twitter.com/s6hvMCjNiZ
— Brendan Gulick (@brendangulick22) October 14, 2024
Lively had a brilliant start of the season and ended up with a rock-solid 3.81 ERA.
He just wasn’t the same pitcher in the second half (4.14 ERA) as he was before the break (3.58 ERA).
In the end, that probably influenced Vogt’s decision to prioritize Gavin Williams and Joey Cantillo, two starters like Lively, over him.
Cantillo’s changeup makes him a weapon against right-handed hitters, and Williams is arguably more talented than Lively all things considered.
Cleveland’s pitching is well-equipped to challenge the Yankees bats even without Lively, who will be around as depth if the team makes it to the World Series and needs him.
NEXT: Guardians Reveal Lineup For ALCS Opener
