The New York Yankees advanced to their 11th ALCS since 2000 with a 3-1 win over the Kansas City Royals in Thursday’s Game 4, and the Cleveland Guardians held off the Detroit Tigers for a 5-4 win to force a Game 5.
With the ALCS not starting until Monday, the Yankees will now go home and get some rest. The Guardians and Tigers, meanwhile, travel back to Cleveland for Game 5 on Saturday.
Yankees 3, Royals 1
The Yankees defeated the Royals 3-1 in Thursday’s Game 4, as New York advanced to the American League Championship Series, with the final score mirroring their ALDS finish.
Thanks to a Gleyber Torres leadoff single and a Juan Soto RBI double, the Yankees got within three pitches later. Gerrit Cole took it from there, pitching a perfect seven innings with six hits and one allowed, no walks and four strikeouts. A one-run offense in the fifth and sixth innings, Giancarlo Stanton and Torres each finished with two hits and an RBI. Luke Weaver picked up the save with a clean ninth inning.
The Royals, meanwhile, couldn’t muster much offense outside of their sixth-inning strikeout when Bobby Witt Jr. singled to right field and Vinny Pasquantino followed with an RBI double. They went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position, putting four people on base. Kansas City starter Michael Wacha allowed six hits and two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings, with one walk and two strikeouts.
The Yankees will have to wait until Saturday night to find out if they will face the Defenders or the Tigers in the ALCS on Monday.
Guards 5, Tigers 4
The Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers will play a decisive Game 5 in their ALDS on Saturday.
In the seventh inning of Game 4 on Thursday, David Frye’s two-run home run and Beau Pryske’s pinch-hit home run gave Cleveland a 4-3 lead. Frye then drove in another run in the ninth, driving in Brian Rocchio on a safety skid.
Closer Emmanuel Klaas had a chance to redeem himself for the three-run homer he gave up in Game 2 when Guardians manager Stephen Vogt brought him in with one out and two runners on in the eighth inning.
Glass retired the first two batters he faced. In the ninth, he gave up a run on a leadoff double by Justin-Henry Malloy and an RBI grounder by Jayce Jung. Klaas then forced a Game 5 with a 5-4 victory over Matt Vierling.
The Tigers are expected to start Tarik Skubel in Game 5, while Matthew Boyd will go to the Guardians.
Thursday’s ALDS Game 4 Schedule:
live42 updates
The Yankees are on their way to the ALCS!
The Yankees defeated the Royals 3-1 in Game 4 and won their ALDS 3-1.
Luke Weaver comes in to close it out on the 9th
He gets Pasquantino, Perez and Curiel to finish it off. Yankees win.
Clay Holmes comes into the 8th inning for the Yankees
The Royals *almost* tied for 7th
Instead, Gerrit Cole went 7 with six hits and one run allowed, walks and four strikeouts.
Royals in the 6th team!
Bobby Witt Jr. singled to right field, setting the stage for Vinny Pasquantino’s double to get the Royals going. It’s Yankees 3, Royals 1 in the bottom of the sixth.
Benches were destroyed in Kansas City
Benches and bullpens have been destroyed in Kansas City. The Yankees and Royals tease each other after New York goes 3-6 in a doubleheader and Mikel Garcia has words with some players.
No punches were thrown. The crowd dispersed. The Yankees still lead 3-0.
Gerrit Cole allowed two hits and no walks and struck out four Royals through five. He’s on just 61 pitches.
The Yankees hit Michael Wacha in the 5th inning
Singles by Anthony Volpe, John Bertie and Kleyber Torres forced manager Matt Cuadtroro to drive in a run, substituting Wacha for Lukas Ercek. The reliever only had to throw two pitches to end the inning with a Juan Soto flyout.
Defenders Force Game 5!
A 5-4 win would send the series back to Cleveland for a decisive Game 5 on Saturday.
CLE-DET: Defenders lead 5-3 in defensive pressure
Cleveland adds another run on David Frye’s defensive snap.
The Guardians now lead 5-3 with one out and two runners on in the top of the ninth.
CLE-DET: Defenders threaten to add to 4-3 lead
Two consecutive one-out singles by Brian Rocchio and Steven Quan (3-for-5) put Cleveland runners on first and second and one out in the ninth.
Tigers manager A.J. Hinch replaces Jackson Jobe with Will West.
NYY-KC: Yankees still lead in 3rd
The Royals (especially Tommy Baum) got into the hit column in the bottom of the second, but had nothing to show for it as the rest of the inning went 1-2-3.
In third place, Michael Wacha led off Aaron Judge.
CLE-DET: Emmanuel class on 8th
After giving up Kerry Carpenter’s 3-run homer in Game 2, Emmanuel Glass will get a chance to redeem himself. But he needs five outs to end Game 4.
Tigers with runners on first and second with one out.
CLE-DET: Gould Keith saves a run
Cleveland nearly added another run to its 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth. Will Brennan was on second base after a two-out double and would have scored if Andres Gimenez had hit a grounder.
But Gould Keith’s diving stop kept the ball in the infield, and he struck out Gimenez at first to end the inning.
Tigers in the bottom of the eighth.
NYY-KC: Yankees, 1, Royals 0 after 2 innings
Giancarlo Stanton led off the second with a double, but after that, the Yankees went down in order. In the bottom half, Gerrit Cole was efficient, sending the Royals through the line.
CLE-DET: David Fry hits a 2-run homer for a 4-3 Guardians lead
Pinch-hitter David Fry hit a two-run homer off Beau Pryske to give the Guardians a 4-3 lead.
Tigers left-hander Sean Guenther got two outs in the top of the seventh inning, but Steven Kwan singled.
Detroit manager A.J. Hinch brought in the right-hander Pryske to face Frye, and a wild pitch moved Kwan to second. Pryske then caught a 97.5 mph fastball down the middle of the strike zone, and Frye didn’t miss.
NYY-KC: Yankees in driver’s seat after first inning
Gerrit Cole struck out two Royals hitters in an efficient, 1-2-3 bottom half of the first inning. On the second…
CLE-DET: New season attendance record at Comerica Park
In one night, the Tigers set a new mark after breaking the Comerica Park postseason record for attendance.
How many Guardians fans drove from Cleveland to help that guy?
NYY-KC: Yankees take an early lead 1-0
Three pitches into the game, the Yankees struck first after a Kleiber Torres double and a Juan Soto RBI single.
