On Monday night, the New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 at Yankee Stadium to take the lead in the ALCS.
Juan Soto, who was well-received into the game by Guardians starting pitcher Alex Cobb, was already 1-for-1 with one hit when he stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the third inning to lead off the game.
Cobb threw a two-seam fastball high into the zone, but Soto overcame all of it and took the lead with a solo homer to left-center field through the swirling Bronx winds. It was Soto's first home run of the postseason as a Yankee.
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New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton, 27, scored a run on a wild pitch in the third inning of Game 1 of the ALCS of the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Cleveland Guardians held at Yankee Stadium. Celebrating with outfielder Alex Verdugo (24). (Brad Penner Imagen Images)
But that wasn't New York's only goal on target, as Cobb began to lose control of the pitch. After giving up walks to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Anthony Volpe, with two outs sprinkled in between, rookie manager Steven Vogt backed left-hander Joey Cantillo.
But Cantillo couldn't control his ball and Bo Naylor couldn't handle it behind the plate as Judge scored on a wild pitch. Then, after giving up a walk to Anthony Rizzo, Stanton scored on another wild pitch to make it 3-0.
Meanwhile, on the mound in New York, Carlos Rodon improved his form as a mainstay through six innings in his second pitching of the postseason.
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Rodon's first appearance with the Yankees didn't go as planned, despite getting off to a strong start in Game 2 against the Kansas City Royals with a strikeout on the side.
But Rodon said he was able to keep his emotions in check after releasing a lot of energy in the loss to Kansas City, and that seems to have worked to his advantage this time.
Rodon pitched six innings for the Yankees, with nine strikeouts and 24 whiffs from Guardians batters. His only mistake was a solo home run off a low fastball from Brayan Rocchio in the top of the sixth inning.
New York Yankees pitcher Carlos Rodon (55) pitches in the first inning of the game against the Cleveland Guardians in Game 1 of the ALCS of the 2024 MLB Playoffs held at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner Imagen Images)
However, the Yankees scored Gleyber Torres on a sacrifice fly by Judge in the bottom of the fourth inning, which, after another wild pitch from Cantillo, bypassed the bases to bring in the score.
Finally, Stanton, who was red hot in the ALDS, hit a high fastball into the left field bullpen for a solo homer to make it 5-1.
When the Yankees called up left-hander Tim Hill from the bullpen in the top of the eighth inning, the Guardians threatened to return to the game. With one out and 2nd and 3rd base, Steven Kwan hit a wrong field hit to score Rocchio, making it 5-2.
But manager Aaron Boone thought it was enough to bring in closer Luke Weaver for a chance at a five-out save. Weaver was lights out against Kansas City, striking out pinch hitter Will Brennan on three pitches and forcing the ever-dangerous Jose Ramirez to ground out with runners on the corners to end the inning.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Weaver gave up a walk to the first batter, but three consecutive strikeouts gave Cleveland the victory and ended the game.
New York Yankees outfielder Juan Soto (22) hits a solo home run in the bottom of the third inning of Game 1 of the ALCS of the 2024 MLB Playoffs against the Cleveland Guardians held at Yankee Stadium. (Brad Penner Imagen Images)
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With Game 1 decided, the Yankees will host the Guardians on Tuesday night for Game 2 of the ALCS.
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