CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – It looked like the Guardians were set up for another magical night at Progressive Field. They were down 6-2 after six innings, and Cleveland rallied to tie the game heading into the ninth inning.
For the second straight game, the Yankees got two runners to cross home plate against the best closer in baseball, Emmanuel Clase.
“I felt like the ball was just leaking back over the middle and credit to them they've had a great approach off of him the last two days,” manager Stephen Vogt said.
Clase started the ninth inning allowing back-to-back singles by Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe. Both ended up scoring on a fielding error by Brayan Rocchio and an RBI single by Gleyber Torres.
“I haven’t been able to execute my pitches and credit to them because they’ve been able to execute their at-bats,” Clase said. “Obviously, I keep my confidence high and keep trusting what I can do. It’s a little surprising that they’ve been able to get the results they have so far.”
As they have all season long, the Guardians didn’t go down without a fight. Facing a four-run deficit, Cleveland broke through with a three-run seventh inning.
Jose Ramirez hit his ninth career postseason double which scored Brayan Rocchio. Ramirez passed Sandy Alomar for the most postseason doubles in club history.
Then, Josh Naylor delivered with his second RBI hit of the night. He ripped a two-run double through the gap in right-center field to cut the Yankees lead to one run.
David Fry came through in a clutch position for the Guardians for the second straight night. It wasn’t a walk-off homer in extra innings like in Game 3, but a bobbled infield single was all Cleveland needed to tie the game and erase the four-run Yankee lead.
“That's what I love about this team,” Vogt said. “They don't quit. And even there in the ninth inning, we got two guys on. We got a chance to swing the bat and win the game. That's who this team is, and that's who we're going to be again tomorrow.”
Cade Smith has been sharp all postseason long, but Giancarlo Stanton got the better of him in a high-stakes at-bat in the sixth inning.
Stanton launched a three-run homer off Smith on the fourth consecutive fastball he saw. His 15th career postseason homer traveled 404 feet to left field, and he’s now homered in four of his last six games.
“He's the best strike out reliever we have, and in that situation, I trust Cade to make pitches there,” Vogt said when asked if he considered intentionally walking Stanton.
Smith’s velocity topped out at 94.4mph. He’s pitched in seven of Cleveland’s eight postseason games.
“There’s no doubt it’s been a long year,” Smith said. “We’re still trying to go out there and compete and leave everything we have on the field. I think I threw him exactly what he was looking for.”
During the regular season, Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith combined to allow three total homers to a combined 559 batters faced. The pair of relievers have given up three homers in the last two games (credit: Buster Olney).
Steven Kwan extended his postseason on-base streak to 15 games with a walk in the first inning. He passed Jim Thome for the longest on-base streak in the playoffs in franchise history. Jose Ramirez plated Kwan with a sac fly.
The All-Star left fielder also stole a base in the third inning. Cleveland set a new franchise record by successfully stealing 14 consecutive bases in the postseason dating back to the 2016 World Series. Kwan scored again thanks to a two-out RBI bloop single by Josh Naylor.
Gavin Williams didn’t have the postseason debut he was hoping for. Gleyber Torres reached on a single on the first pitch of the game. Then, Juan Soto smashed his fourth career League Championship Series homer. Soto has five home runs in 10 games this season against the Guardians.
“I thought the way Gavin came out, was having trouble landing his off-speed and they were getting to his fastball,” Vogt said. “Credit to Gavin, 25 days off is not easy, and he got some outs for us.”
Williams started the second inning with back-to-back strikeouts, but Austin Wells connected on his first career postseason homer with two outs. Wells snapped an 0-for-21 skid at the plate, and it was the first playoff homer by a Yankees rookie catcher in franchise history.
listen to 92.3 the fan
Williams was pulled in the third inning after only throwing 40 pitches. The 25-year-old became the youngest Cleveland pitcher to start an ALCS game since Ryan Merritt in 2016.
“I felt pretty good,” Williams said. “I think that’s some of the best stuff I’ve had all year. I just didn’t execute a few pitches.”
The right-hander hasn’t been credited with a win at Progressive Field since September 17th, 2023. Williams wasn’t charged with the loss, but he was 0-7 in starts at home in the regular season.
The loss in Game 4 marked Cleveland’s first loss this postseason when scoring four-or-more runs. Teams to face a 1-3 deficit in a best-of-seven postseason series have gone on to lose the series 79 of 93 times.
“Sometimes it doesn’t go your way, that’s baseball,” Josh Naylor said. "Tomorrow’s another day, you got one more life. Every inning is a battle.”
The Guardians will face elimination throughout the rest of the ALCS. They’ll rely on their ace Tanner Bibee to keep the season alive in Game 5.
“We're going to show up ready to win,” Vogt said. “That's who these guys are. When our backs are against the wall, we play our best baseball. We don't quit. This team has no quit in it. It hasn't all year long.”
Bibee’s 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA in 10 innings pitched in the playoffs. He only recorded four outs in Game 2 of the ALCS on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
“I think having an edge, having some anger to it,” Bibee said when asked about the key to his start in Game 5.
Opposing Tanner Bibee on the mound will be Carlos Rodon for the Yankees. Rodon struck out nine batters and gave up one run in six innings in Game 1 of the series. Game 5 from Progressive Field has a first pitch time of 8:08pm.
“This team has responded really well all season, and I expect nothing different tomorrow,” Austin Hedges said.