In a stunning turn of events, the Cleveland Guardians, down to their last out, clawed back against New York, winning 7-5 in 10 innings to cut the Yankees’ ALCS lead to 2-1.
Both teams experienced a rollercoaster of emotions, but the late-game pitching decisions will resonate and potentially decide this series.
Clase’s big mistake
Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland’s dominant closer, entered the game in the eighth with Juan Soto on first after a walk. The Guardians led 3-1 and had the league’s top bullpen backing them.
Facing Aaron Judge, Clase did what every closer is trained to do: go with his best pitch. That meant cutters.
He worked Judge to a 1-2 count with three straight cutters before going with a fourth. It was a mistake.
Judge lasered the fourth cutter for a two-run, game-tying home run. Clase didn’t just give up his second home run of the postseason; he gave life to the Yankees.
Still, Clase stayed in to face Giancarlo Stanton. The big DH looked overmatched by the cutter, but Clase didn’t want to get beat twice.
Instead of sticking with his primary pitch, he went to the slider on a 1-2 count. Stanton made him pay, crushing the ball for a back-to-back homer and a 4-3 Yankees lead.
