The Cleveland Guardians are eliminated after losing the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees four games to one.
The last game, on Saturday, was very closely contested until Yankees slugger Juan Soto broke a tie with a three-run home run in the top of the tenth frame.
The Guardians were actually up 2-0 as late as the sixth inning.
That’s when a key decision cost them their lead and, eventually, the game.
The first two batters reached base, but starter Tanner Bibee got Aaron Judge to hit a double play.
With two outs and a runner on third base, Giancarlo Stanton was up.
If you followed the series and the entire postseason, you know Stanton has looked like the second coming of Babe Ruth against the Guards.
With first base empty, the logical move by manager Stephen Vogt would have been walking Stanton.
“The intentional walk is lame. It’s a cop-out. It’s not a strategy; it’s an abandonment of the obligation to entertain. But against Giancarlo Stanton in this ALCS? It would have been the way to go,” MLB insider Anthony Castrovince posted on his X account.
The intentional walk is lame. It’s a cop-out. It’s not a strategy; it’s an abandonment of the obligation to entertain.
But against Giancarlo Stanton in this ALCS? It would have been the way to go. https://t.co/wSgSW6zpIy
— Anthony Castrovince (@castrovince) October 20, 2024
Bibee quickly earned two swinging strikes to put Stanton in a 0-2 count.
But the slugger fought back and got it up to 3-2.
He then got a hanging slider and sent it far into the night at Progressive Field.
Considering that the struggling Jazz Chisholm Jr. was up next, walking Stanton wasn’t just the right move: it was the only logical move.
Vogt and the Guardians paid a huge price, as Stanton tied the game and they wouldn’t score again.
NEXT: Steven Kwan Gets Honest About Playoff Loss To Yankees
