Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith on ALCS woes vs. Yankees
Cleveland Guardians relievers Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith discussed their struggles vs. the New York Yankees in the ALCS.
In a postseason where outs are increasingly harder to come by, the New York Yankees need just 27 more of them to reach the World Series.
The Yankees and Guardians meet Saturday night in Game 5 of the American League Championship Series, with New York holding a 3-1 lead and turning to Game 1 winner Carlos Rodón in the potential clincher, opposed by Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee.
Yet the game will almost certainly come down to the bullpens. The Yankees have torched Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase in consecutive games, but won just one of them as their own ninth-inning guy, Luke Weaver, was roughed up in Game 3. He should be available Saturday night, perhaps to be engulfed by teammates after clinching the pennant.
Cleveland would like nothing better to hop a plane back to New York, where Game 6 will be contested Monday night – if necessary.
Follow along for updates on Saturday’s game:
Once again the Cleveland Guardians handled Aaron Judge without incident. But Giancarlo Stanton showed once again there’s no escaping the biggest, and for the moment baddest, dude in the New York Yankees’ lineup.
Stanton continued his epic postseason in the sixth inning of ALCS Game 5 on Saturday night, tying the score with a mighty swing of his bat that produced a two-run home run that came roaring off his bat at 117.5 mph.
Starter Tanner Bibee had cruised into the fifth inning, retiring 11 of the last 12 Yankee hitters. But singles by Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto prompted a mound visit. Relief ace Cade Smith was warming. Bibee would face Judge – and induce a ground-ball double play.
But Bibee’s work was not done, not even after burying Stanton in an 0-2 hole. Stanton worked his way back to a full count and then drove a hanging slider 446 feet to tie the score 2-2.
It was Stanton’s fifth home run this postseason and 16th of his career. And the Yankees once again have a shot at closing this ALCS in five games.
Tanner Bibee couldn’t get out of the second inning in his first start against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Yet with the Cleveland Guardians in must-win mode, he’s delivered exactly what they needed.
Bibee has pitched five shutout innings, retiring 10 in a row at one point, and Steven Kwan’s RBI single provided the Guardians’ second run to take a 2-0 lead through five innings of Game 5 Saturday night.
With Cleveland’s vaunted bullpen clearly gassed after ugly performances in Games 3 and 4, Bibee had to provide some length to take the pressure off his mates. He’s done just that, striking out five and inducing a double play.
Meanwhile, Yankees starter Carlos Rodón was lifted after 4 ⅔ innings. Advantage: Cleveland.
The Cleveland Guardians leaned on the Naylor Bros. to take the first lead in ALCS Game 5.
Bo Naylor capped a 10-pitch at-bat against Carlos Rodón by lining a double into the right-field corner, enabling his brother, Josh, to chug home on the full-count, two-out hit for a 1-0 lead against the New York Yankees
It’s still early, but the vital signs are OK for the Guardians. Rodón, who won Game 1 for New York, has thrown 40 pitches through two innings, while Guardians starter Tanner Bibee escaped the first tow innings unscathed.
Gleyber Torres led off the game with a single and the next batter, Juan Soto, doubled to the wall in right center. Waved on by third base coach Luis Rojas, Torres tried to score from first but Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez made a perfect throw to the plate, with catcher Bo Naylor applying the tag.
Starter Tanner Bibee hit Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm to load the bases, but got Anthony Rizzo to fly out to left and strand all three runners.
Yankees vs Guardians Game 5 time
First pitch for ALCS Game 5 is scheduled for 8:08 p.m. ET on Saturday.
- Location: Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 19
- Time: 8:08 p.m. ET
- TV: TBS
- Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
- Juan Soto (L) RF
- Aaron Judge (R) CF
- Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH
- Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L) 3B
- Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
- Anthony Volpe (R) SS
- Austin Wells (L) C
- Alex Verdugo (L) LF
- Steven Kwan (L) LF
- David Fry (R) DH
- José Ramírez (S) 3B
- Lane Thomas (R) CF
- Josh Naylor (L) 1B
- Jhonkensy Noel (R) RF
- Bo Naylor (L) C
- Andrés Giménez (L) 2B
- Brayan Rocchio (S) SS
The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more.