Cleveland All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase surrendered two runs in the ninth inning, paving the way for the New York Yankees to edge closer to another World Series. The Yankees defeated the Guardians 8-6 on Friday night, securing a 3-1 lead in the American League Championship Series.
Gleyber Torres delivered an RBI single, and New York's go-ahead run was scored on an error by shortstop Brayan Rocchio, who mishandled Alex Verdugo's grounder. Clase (0-2) had a turbulent ninth inning, as the season's top reliever faltered for the second consecutive night. The Yankees managed three singles off the right-hander, who had previously given up back-to-back homers in the eighth inning of Game 3 but was rescued when the Guardians hit a pair of two-run homers in their final two at-bats.
Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto both contributed with homers for the Yankees, with Stanton hitting a three-run shot and Soto a two-run blast. A victory in Game 5 on Saturday would propel the Yankees to their 41st World Series appearance. The Guardians, facing postseason elimination for the second time, must now win three consecutive games—two at Yankee Stadium—to have any hope of ending their 76-year World Series drought.
For the second night in a row, New York's bullpen nearly squandered a late lead. The Guardians scored three runs in the seventh, one in the eighth, and threatened in the ninth by putting two runners on base. Yankees manager Aaron Boone turned to Tommy Kahnle for the final three outs, and the right-hander managed to secure the win, something New York's relievers failed to do the previous night.
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