THE BRONX, N.Y. — It certainly wasn't the start anyone in Cleveland wanted.
The Guardians found themselves overmatched Tuesday night, losing to the New York Yankees 4-1 in Game 1 of the American League Division Series. The underdogs unfortunately lived down to their billing, getting burned by miscues, missed opportunities, and the dreaded long ball.
It was actually the Guards who drew first blood, taking a 1-0 lead in the third inning on Steven Kwan's solo homer to right. They then loaded the bases with one out and appeared to have Yanks starter Gerrit Cole on the ropes, but the high-priced pitcher worked his way out of it, getting Oscar Gonzalez to ground into a fielder's choice before striking out Andrés Giménez to retire the side. Cole finished the evening allowing only that run while fanning eight across 6 1/3.
Harrison Bader tied the game in the bottom of the third with a home run of his own before more cracks emerged in the fifth, when an single by Isiah Kiner-Falefa rolled under the glove of Gonzalez in right and opened the door for the former to go all the way to third. He would score on Jose Trevino's sacrifice fly, giving New York a lead it would not relinquish.
The big blow came in the sixth, when Cleveland's Cal Quantrill offered up a leadoff walk to Aaron Judge who then went to third on a stolen base and another error, this time by catcher Austin Hedges. Quantrill stayed in the game to face Anthony Rizzo, who promptly sent a 3-2 cutter deep into the seats to give the Yankees a three-run cushion.
The Guardians' bullpen managed to do its job and prevent more scoring, but the offense couldn't muster up much of a counter-punch. They did bring the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but Amed Rosario couldn't lay off Jonathan Loáisiga's inside sinkers and hit into a double play.
As it stands, Game 2 of the best-of-five series is set for Thursday at 7:37 p.m., again from Yankee Stadium. However, forecasters are currently predicting heavy rain in the area, which could force things back a day to Friday. Should that occur, the two teams could potentially play four days in a row if the series goes the distance.
Whenever it does happen, the Guardians will throw Shane Bieber in the second game fresh off his dynamite performance in the wild-card series. Nestor Cortes (12-4, 2.44 ERA in regular season) will likely take the mound for the Yankees.