Yankees Win 8–6, Take 3–1 ALCS Lead
Alex Verdugo drove in the go-ahead run with a weak grounder to shortstop that Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio couldn’t field cleanly as he charged in. Pinch-runner Jon Berti scored to give the New York Yankees a 7–6 lead in the ninth inning of Game 4 of the American League Championship Series.
Gleyber Torres followed with a single to center field to drive in Anthony Volpe and boost the Yankees’ lead to 8–6. Tommy Kahnle made that lead hold up, closing out the Guardians in the bottom of the frame.
Cleveland brought the game-winning run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth when Jhonkensy Noel drew a one-out walk and Andres Gimenez singled. But Bo Naylor flied out to center field, and Rocchio grounded out to second to end the game.
With the 8–6 victory, the Yankees take a 3–1 series lead. New York can clinch the AL pennant and a trip to the World Series with a win on Saturday.
Yet again, Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase looked human in the postseason after pitching super-heroically during the regular season. Coming in for the ninth with a 6–6 tie, Clase gave up consecutive singles to Rizzo and Volpe. Austin Wells struck out, and Volpe stole second base, setting up Verdugo’s go-ahead ground ball.
Cade Smith was Cleveland’s fourth pitcher of the game and came into Friday’s matchup having allowed just one run in nine postseason innings. But he had a disastrous result in Game 4.
Juan Soto walked, and Aaron Judge singled to begin the sixth. Jazz Chisholm Jr. moved them to second and third with a sacrifice bunt. Then Smith left a two-strike fastball out over the plate, and Giancarlo Stanton crushed it for a three-run homer, building the Yankees’ lead to 6–2.
Soto and Wells also hit home runs in Game 4, roughing up Guardians starter Gavin Williams in the top of the first and second. Williams appeared to settle down after that, but manager Stephen Vogt pulled him with one out in the third inning.
Cleveland rallied in the seventh, cutting the margin to 6–5 on consecutive one-out RBI doubles from Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor off Clay Holmes.
But Noel could not repeat his late-inning, pinch-hit home run heroics against Mark Leiter Jr. He hit a long fly ball down the left-field line, but it stayed in the park this time. Leiter was added to the Yankees’ ALCS roster before the game as an injury replacement for Ian Hamilton. The Guardians tacked on one more in the eighth on a David Fry single, but that’s all they would get before the Yankees went ahead in the ninth.
Tanner Bibee will start Game 5 with the Guardians’ season at stake. Carlos Rodon gets the starting nod for the Yankees on Saturday, with first pitch scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET.