Game 4 Leads Us To A Total Play

Yankees vs. Guardians, 8:08 ET

Yankees vs. Guardians, 8:08 ET

Momentum is a crazy thing, isn’t it? You always want it on your side, but it shifts so quickly in sports it is wild. I was listening to some football game the other day, I don’t remember which, but the announcer said that it isn’t as important to score first in football, but more important to take the momentum, especially late in the game. I guess I can understand it, and after yesterday’s game, there is no question who has the momentum going into Game 4 between the Yankees and Guardians. 

The Yankees probably have a bit of a bitter taste in their mouth and have to feel like they let a dominating lead in the series slip away. After jumping out to an early lead in the game, Cleveland responded with two runs an inning later. It kind of looked like the Guardians were going to take the game after they were up 3-1 in the sixth inning. However, the Yankees got their mashers to do their job in the eighth inning with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton to hit back-to-back homers. This gave the Yankees the lead and was also encouraging for them that Judge has now homered in two straight games. After being rather cold most of the postseason, it has to be exciting for them that he is starting to heat up. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they couldn’t hold the lead and lost in extra innings. Tonight, the Yankees turn to Luis Gil to try and capture a 3-1 lead instead of falling to a tied series. Gil went 15-7 this year with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He hasn’t pitched since September 28th though so he could be a bit rusty. He did faced the Guardians earlier in the season, allowing three earned runs over three innings to Cleveland in an extra-inning loss.

Oct 7, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees third base Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run against the Kansas City Royals in the ninth inning during game two of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

I kind of undersold the story about the Guardians coming back in yesterday’s game. After allowing back-to-back homers, the team could’ve been dejected and essentially given up. That wasn’t the case with the team. They didn’t score in the bottom half of that inning and then allowed another run to the Yankees in the top of the ninth. In the bottom of the frame, facing a 2-run deficit, they got a runner on before Jhonkensy Noel hit a pinch-hit homer to give the Guardians life. After getting nothing going in the 10th, the Guardians kept their momentum and blasted another two-run bomb over the fence, walking off with a postseason win, and keeping themselves in a decent situation coming into tonight’s game. They send out Gavin Williams to the mound in hopes of getting the series to even. Williams didn’t have a great season, going 3-10 with a 4.86 EAR and a 1.37 WHIP, so my guess is that he is going to go two innings, if he can get through them without allowing any runs. He hasn’t pitched since September 22nd, and he did face the Yankees once this season, allowing three earned runs in 4.1 innings. 

It seems like both of the teams have decided that the opening of this game doesn’t matter and it will be decided by relievers anyway. The total for this game is just 7.5, which is normal for a playoff game, but these pitchers give me know hope that they are going to put blanks on the scoreboard. I’ll back the over in this one. I do think the momentum is with Cleveland and they win, but with Williams on the mound I’m not confident enough to bet it. 

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