CLEVELAND — In the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 4 of the ALCS between the Yankees and the Guardians, it was Cleveland rookie right-hander Cade Smith’s turn to pitch again.
For the third time in three games, Smith was called up by manager Steven Vogt to man the middle of New York’s monster lineup of Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. It’s a difficult task for any relief pitcher on paper, but Smith’s sensational debut as Cleveland’s breakout bullpen ace is enough to suggest that the power-throwing 25-year-old will be up to the challenge, even if it’s multiple innings. It instilled confidence in me.
Manager Stephen Vogt said after the game, “He’s the best strikeout relief pitcher we have. In those situations, I trust Cade to pitch there.” “He does it all year round.”
In Game 2 in the Bronx, after Vogt intentionally walked Soto with one out and first base, Smith came on in the second inning and faced Judge with the bases loaded. Smith forced Judge to a sac fly, then struck out Austin Wells and grounded out Stanton in the next inning.
In Game 3 on Thursday — a few innings before the unforgettable roller coaster began in earnest — Smith entered the sixth inning with a one-run lead and retired Soto, Judge and Stanton on 10 pitches, including It also included a strikeout by Judge. Nasty splitter.
A similar issue arose in Friday’s Game 4, which the Yankees ultimately won 8-6. Soto led off again in the sixth inning, followed by Judge, new No. 4 hitter Jazz Chisholm Jr., and, if a base runner reached, Stanton. This time, Cleveland caught up to a one-point lead, and Smith came on with the aim of preventing New York’s heavy hitters from extending their lead.
That didn’t happen. Soto led off with a five-pitch walk. Judge followed with a quick single to left. Chisholm made a sacrifice bunt to put him on second and third base. All of this set up Stanton and his team-leading OPS to put him in scoring position with one out and second base.
Smith threw four consecutive fastballs, normally a 96 mph four-seamer, but on this night his top speed was 94 mph. Then, at the count of 1-2, Stanton made a surefire shot to left-center field to make it 6-2. Yankees.
As each game progresses, each time they trot out of the bullpen and dive headlong into the pressure cooker that is baseball’s postseason, the relievers begin to wear down. At the same time, batters begin to build confidence and security each time they face an opponent who rarely gets more than one at-bat during the regular season. When the batters involved are already the best players in the league under any circumstances, as is the case with the Yankees’ top batter, the dynamic is exaggerated.
Soto, Judge, and Stanton are too talented, too meticulous in their craft, and too good in their execution to be fooled or overwhelmed by the same pitchers over and over again. It was on full display Friday when Smith suffered the consequences of overuse and overexposure against some of the best players in baseball.
“That’s what the Yankees do really well,” Vogt said after the game. “They have a really good approach to their pitchers and they hit pitches over the middle. They didn’t miss it and really took advantage of it.”
But Smith’s rare meltdown (the second time this season he allowed three earned runs in a game) didn’t sink the Guardians. Like so many times, Cleveland got back into the game. It wasn’t particularly pretty, but the scoreboard continued to evolve in the Guardians’ favor. In the seventh inning, Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor hit doubles off Clay Holmes that narrowed the gap to just one run for the tired relievers.
The eighth inning saw a far more stupid scoring effort. When Bo Naylor was at third base, David Frey hit a soft bouncer back to pitcher Mark Leiter, Jr., who tried to scoop up the ball and throw it to first baseman Anthony Rizzo for an out, but the ball The ball went through the glove of Rizzo, who was waiting for a fumble, and slipped through his legs. , allowed Naylor to score the tying run.
In terms of style points, it was the complete opposite of Johnkensie Noel’s majestic, match-clinching outburst the night before, but the meaning was still the same. The Guardians tied the game and gave themselves a chance to steal another great victory.
“It would have been really easy for us to just collapse and walk away when Cade allowed a three-run home run, but that’s not how this group works,” Vogt said. “…We had a chance to swing the bat and win the game. That’s what this team is.”
But any potential victory would first require closer Emmanuel Clase to recover.
Unlike Smith, who had been great at every turn until Friday’s misstep, Clase was in the midst of a mind-boggling October funk heading into Game 4. He ended the night by allowing back-to-back home runs to Judge and Stanton. The Yankees had a shocking lead at the time, but Clase’s resilient teammates eventually regained it. Consecutive devastating hits with high leverage, combined with a poor showing in the final game against Detroit, put a long end to Crace’s great regular season, one of the best ever completed by a relief pitcher. It felt like a memory.
However, the fourth race seemed to be an advantageous situation for Clase to regain his confidence. He’s not in the middle of an inning with runners already on base, and despite never getting on base in the regular season, which he’s seen many times this month, he’s a clean slate in the 9th inning. It was to start. Cleveland tied the score and gained momentum in a chaotic game, but it was up to Clase to keep the scoreboard in check against the bottom of New York’s lineup.
Still, it didn’t take long for the Yankees to generate some traffic. Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe each singled on the second cutter they saw, and the Yankees quickly got things going. It was a huge challenge for the opponents to get consecutive base hitters against Kurase in July or August. By October, it had become somewhat commonplace.
A stolen base by Volpe, a rare error by shortstop Brian Rocchio, and a single by Gleyber Torres followed, adding two more runs to the All-Star closer’s postseason record. For the third time this month, Clase took the mound when his team suddenly found itself behind due to a pitch he threw. Despite not allowing another jaw-dropping shot, Clase missed another game and opened a new door for an opponent who had been shut down for six months.
This time, his teammates were unable to pick him up as the rally in the bottom of the ninth inning fell short.
Crace, along with Smith, became the mainstay of Cleveland’s definitive superpower bullpen entering October. This group still has the depth to shine occasionally, but while Hunter Gaddis was great on Friday, it’s definitely a lackluster overall, and New York’s lineup is utilized accordingly.
It’s always a good sign for the Yankees when Soto, Judge and Stanton punish opposing pitchers like they did against Smith in the sixth inning. But for a lineup that has been brutally top-heavy for much of this year, a rally from Rizzo, Volpe, and Torres and a matchup with a closer like Clase is especially promising, even if it’s down. It is a development.
Early in Game 4, rookie catcher Austin Wells hit a home run to center field, his first hit in the LCS and his first extra-base hit in the postseason since starting in October, going 2-for-26. Wells had a scorching summer, posting a batting average of .303/.389/.549 from July to August, and was named a candidate for AL Rookie of the Year. But with a frigid September leading into the postseason and every at-bat counted, his bat became less of a threat in the middle of the Yankees’ lineup. Wells isn’t the only backstop struggling offensively this October — the LCS team’s catchers were all hitting .130/.201/.163 entering Friday. –However, if he can get back to his midsummer form, it could be a crime that could drastically change the situation.
Don’t get me wrong. Soto, Judge, and Stanton need to keep this train running. But if New York advances and faces teams like the Mets and Dodgers, who have much better offense than Cleveland, the contributions of the rest of the lineup will be most important. Game 4 was a step in the right direction for the Yankees in that regard.
Game 5 on Saturday will pit a fully rested Carlos Rodon against a lightly rested Tanner Bibby. Rodon was active in Game 1, but Bibby had just four outs in Game 2. This time around, the pressure will be on Bibby to cover as many innings as possible so as not to further expose Cleveland’s beleaguered bullpen. That puts Vogt in an especially tough position as the Guardians face elimination, and managers tend to deploy their bullpens with a sense of urgency. Vogt may not have that luxury after two extremely taxing days for the pitching staff. If Bibee doesn’t deliver, this series could end in a hurry.
On the other hand, the Yankees are one win away from the Fall Classic, and their offensive line seems to be getting stronger day by day. This development could be the difference between New York advancing to the World Series for the first time since 2009, or actually winning its first championship. Winning the title for the first time in 15 years.
