A Wild Ride in Six Flags Cleveland - Yankees vs Guardians (Game 4 Recap)
After suffering one of the more crushing defeats of this postseason, it was paramount that the Yankees come out of the gate quickly in Game 4. The Guards were riding a Pe’ahi 70-foot wave of momentum that needed to be stopped before hitting (Cleve)land. I did not want this series tied and more importantly, I did not want these lunatic fans to have any reason to believe.
When Soto starts the game with a 2-run homer, I thought - “We had finally broken them”. All the bad juju from the night prior had been erased and the Yanks would cruise to a 3-1 series lead.
Little did I know that I was about to witness one of the wildest, back and forth, shit show rollercoasters of a playoff game these eyes have ever seen.
Right off the bat - you knew both starters weren’t sniffing the fifth inning. Williams is giving up jacks to Austin Wells of all people and Gil is missing the zone by 2 feet, while also getting blooped to death.
Through 5, the Yanks led 3-2. With both pens completely spent, it was time to buckle up for the inevitable series of heart attacks we were on the verge of experiencing.
Soto’s lead off walk, followed by a Judge single set the table for the Yanks in the 6th. Jazz then laid down a nice sacrifice bunt that would prove to be unnecessary as Playoff Giancarlo would strike once more.
The three run shot sent Hudson Hall into an absolute frenzy - as I ordered another round of picklebacks and started my 14th “Let’s Go Yankees” chant of the evening (surely I wasn’t being obnoxious or annoying in any way).
And then - Clay Holmes enters the game in the 7th and firmly declared that he is indeed - back on his bullshit. Consecutive doubles by Ramirez and Naylor drove in the Cousins’ inheritance and the Yankee lead was quickly down to one.
I don’t know what I did to deserve Mark Leiter Jr. returning to the active roster, let alone pitching in the bottom of the 8th inning. I put zero blame on the cameraman who thought Big Christmas deposited that hanger into the Cuyahoga - because I sure as hell did too.
Just when you thought he would miraculously get out of his latest jam unscathed, he boots a soft comebacker and proceeds to nutmeg Rizzo in one of the most inexplicably terrible plays you’ll ever see.
Rizzo is definitely at blame here as well as the ball seemingly phased through both his glove and body. I’m not sure how fractured fingers have had such a negative impact on his defense but the guy isn’t making any plays outside of the most routine variety. This has to be figured out ASAP before it ends up costing us against a good baseball team.
With the game tied entering the ninth, Emmanuel Clase entered the contest looking for his shot at redemption. I regret to inform the entire city of Cleveland that he’d better keep on looking!
Rizzo single, Volpe Single, double steal, infield RBI single by Verdugo. We had Guardians’d the Guardians with the small ball bullshit they pride themselves on. A Gleyber drive up the middle tacked on the 5th run against Clase in just 2 innings of work.
For reference, Mariano Rivera allowed just 11 earned runs in his entire postseason career (141 Innings Pitched). So maybe keep the goat’s name out of your mouth Nathan.
With Weaver on the shelf, Tommy Kahnle would neutralize a final Guardian threat in the ninth and give the Yankees a hard fought 3-1 series lead.
In all seriousness, Cleveland deserves some credit for their performance these past two games. They’ve battled back from certain death and have forced the Yanks into facing some much needed adversity.
So bravo Guardians. You’ve made this series much more fun than I had anticipated. Unfortunately for you, I fully expect it to end later tonight, leaving you all with nothing but Deshaun Watson to entertain you the rest of the fall. Ta ta!
