The New York Yankees are just one victory away from reaching the franchise’s first World Series since 2009.
The Yanks held off a resilient Cleveland Guardians team to secure a thrilling 8-6 win in Game 4 of the American League Championship Series on Friday night.
Powered by home runs from Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees avoided heartbreak for a second straight night to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.
Guardians All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase was again stung by the Yankees offense, as he allowed two runs in the ninth innings in the loss. In Game 3, Clase gave up back-to-back home runs but was saved by the Guardians’ clutch late-game hitting.
Teams to take a 3-1 lead in a best-of-seven postseason series have gone on to win the series 79 of 93 times, including 37 of 45 times in the LCS.
“I want a ring, I want a ring,” Stanton said after the game. “Anything I can do to help us win. One step at a time, so this was a good step we got much more work to do.”
“It was big time to throw the first punch, no lead is safe but it was good to get the first punch, great battle back-and-forth and just able to keep it going.”
Coming off a gut-wrenching extra-inning loss in Game 3, the Yankees came out swinging. Gleyber Torres set the tone with a leadoff single in the first inning. Moments later, Soto crushed a two-run home run to center field, putting New York up 2-0 early.
Cleveland responded quickly, cutting the lead in half with an RBI sacrifice fly from José Ramírez in the bottom of the first. But New York’s offense continued to roll. Yankees catcher Austin Wells hammered a solo home run over 400 feet to center field in the third inning, extending the lead to 3-1.
The Guardians made it a one-run game in the bottom of the third when Josh Naylor drove in Steven Kwan with a single to left field, trimming the deficit to 3-2. However, the Yankees’ dangerous middle of the lineup bats had more in store.
After Soto drew a walk and Aaron Judge followed with a single, both advanced on Jazz Chisolm Jr.’s sacrifice bunt. That set the stage for Stanton, who delivered once again. He launched a three-run home run to left field—his fourth home run of the postseason—giving the Yankees a 6-2 lead.
Stanton’s blast silenced the crowd at Progressive Field as he watched the ball travel into the stands, before strutting around the bases and being greeted by his teammates at home plate.
Just when it seemed the Yankees had control, Cleveland’s relentless offense ignited another potential comeback.
In the seventh inning, Brayan Rocchio drew a walk, and the hot-hitting Kwan followed with a single off Yankees reliever Jake Cousins. With the Guardians threatening, Yankees manager Aaron Boone turned to closer Clay Holmes to try to limit the damage.
Holmes first faced David Fry, who had hit a walk-off home run off of him in Game 3 and managed to strike him out. However, José Ramírez roped an RBI double to make it 6-3. Naylor followed with a two-run single, slicing the Yankees lead to 6-5 and sending the Cleveland crowd into a frenzy.
In the eighth inning, with Cleveland just one run behind, Fry again tormented the Yankees. He hit a comebacker to pitcher Mark Leiter Jr., who had trouble securing the ball, and failed to get the throw cleanly to Anthony Rizzo at first base, allowing Bo Naylor to score from third and tie the game at 6-6.
Despite climbing back into the game Cleveland could not find any ninth-inning magic. Yankees pitcher Tommy Kahnle allowed two runners on base but got Rocchio to ground out to end the game.
After the game, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt was asked about the team’s mindset ahead of a must-win game on Saturday.
“We are going to show up and be ready to win. That’s who these guys are. When our backs are against the wall, we play our best baseball,” Vogt confidently said.
“We don’t quit. This team has not quit in it. It hasn’t all year long. It doesn’t matter how we play – the day before, days leading up to it – this team is going to show up with the same attitude and the same mindset we do everyday and that’s ‘we are going to win.’”
The Yankees are now one win away from winning clinching their first AL pennant in 15 years. They can close out the best-of-seven series in Game 5 on Saturday night in Cleveland.
After the game, Yankees slugger Giancarlo Stanton said the team was still focused on the task at hand.
“It feels like nothing until we get it done,” he said. “As far as I am concerned, we haven’t done nothin’.
“We will enjoy this for now but we got to get it done tomorrow and onto the next.”