In another postseason classic with a similar level of excitement as Game 3, it was the New York Yankees the ones coming out on top on Friday’s Game 4 of the American League Championship Series 8-6.
Fought through the line.#ForTheLand | #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/sNvaPUagVo
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 19, 2024
Missed opportunities, an inability to keep the Yankees bats at bay and, again, a disappointing effort by the starting pitching were the deciding factors against Cleveland.
Gavin Williams allowed two homers and three runs in 2.1 frames, once again overtaxing the Guardians bullpen.
The Guardians offense showed grit and heart to come back from a 6-2 deficit to a 6-6 tie with three runs in the bottom of the seventh and another one in the eighth.
However, Emmanuel Clase once again collapsed and conceded two runs in the top of the ninth as the Yankees broke the tie and set up another win, a particularly painful one for Cleveland.
Josh Naylor’s resurgence at the plate (2-for-5, 3 RBI) was nullified by the Guardians inability to control Juan Soto (a two-run homer in the first), Aaron Judge (1-for-4 with a run) and Giancarlo Stanton (a three-run blast to put the game 6-2 at one point).
Those three, plus Gleyber Torres, have inflicted damage all series long.
With the win, the Yankees are up 3-1 in the ALCS and are one victory away from returning to the World Series for the first time in 15 years.
The two teams will return to Progressive Field for one last time on Saturday, as Carlos Rodon will face Guardians righty Tanner Bibee as Cleveland fights for its life.
The Guards have been with their backs against the wall once in the 2024 playoffs already: they were down two games to one against the Detroit Tigers in the AL Division Series and won two straight to advance.
Can they pull off something similar against New York?
NEXT: Guardians Announce Lineup Ahead Of Game 4 Of ALCS
