Yankees one win from World Series after taking Game 4 from Cleveland in ALCS
Cleveland All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase gave up two runs in the ninth inning and the New York Yankees moved closer to another World Series by beating the Guardians 8-6 on Friday night to take a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.
Gleyber Torres hit an RBI single and New York scored the go-ahead run when shortstop Brayan Rocchio booted Alex Verdugo’s grounder because of an error.
It was a messy ninth for Clase (0-2) as baseball’s best player was substituted for the second night in a row.
New York had three hits in the ninth off the right-hander, who gave up back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning of Game 3, but was eliminated when the Guardians got two-run homers in the ninth and 10th.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a three-run homer and Juan Soto hit a two-run shot for the Yankees, who can advance to their 41st World Series on Saturday night if they win in Game 5.
Austin Wells also homered for New York.
The Guardians are eliminated from the postseason for the second time. They rallied in the ALDS to get past Detroit and will need to win three straight, including two at Yankee Stadium, to have any chance of ending their 76-year World Series drought.
For the second night in a row, New York’s bullpen took a late lead. The Guardians scored three runs in the seventh, one in the eighth and threatened in the ninth, putting two runners on base.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone went to Tommy Kahnle — not closer Luke Weaver — for the final three outs and the right-hander was able to put away Cleveland, something New York’s relievers couldn’t do Thursday.
Stanton’s 400-foot drive in the sixth inning off Cade Smith put the Yankees ahead 6-2.
Cleveland scored three runs in the seventh and rookie Jhonkensy Noel, who had a pinch-hit home run in the ninth inning in Game 3, sent a shiver through Progressive Field by flying to the warning track.
Cleveland tied the score in the eighth when the Yankees, who have hurt themselves in the field and on the bases, botched an easy play in the infield.
Bo Naylor doubled and advanced on an infield grounder. Mark Leiter Jr., who was added to the Yankees’ ALCS roster as an injury replacement earlier in the day, brought in Steven Kwan. Leiter appeared to get out of the inning when David Fry, one of Cleveland’s Game 3 home run stars, hit a slow grounder to right field.
Leiter rushed the ball onto the grass and scooped it with his bare hands as he approached the foul line toward first, but the ball went through the legs of first baseman Anthony Rizzo, allowing Naylor to score the tying run.
Stanton, who hit back-to-back home runs with Aaron Judge in the eighth inning on Thursday, gave the Yankees a four-run lead with his 15th career postseason home run.
Smith walked Solo entering the sixth and Judge singled before Stanton drove a 1-2 fastball from Smith into the stands, where a sizable contingent of Yankees fans waited for the ball to land.
Stanton tied Carlos Beltrán and Nelson Cruz for the most home runs through the first 35 career playoff games. Stanton also tied Judge and Babe Ruth for fourth-most in club history.