There's a reason it's not the "American League Championship Game." The Guardians are sure grateful for that.
But in this best-of-seven AL Championship Series, no one can say Cleveland got off on the right foot, with a 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees in Game 1 Monday night. Before a packed crowd at Yankee Stadium that included Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, the Yanks' pitching carried the day, while the Guards' hurlers quite literally threw it away.
Rookie Joey Cantillo tied the Guardians' franchise record with four wild pitches in a single game, doing so on just 21 throws in 1/3 of an inning. Two of his wayward tosses came in the third after relieving Alex Cobb, bringing home a pair of runs that gave New York a 3-0 lead.
Cantillo spiked both balls way in front of catcher Bo Naylor, who was helpless to either block them or stop Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton from scoring. Manager Stephen Vogt had hoped the young left-hander would give him some length after Cobb left earlier than planned, but was forced to pull him in the fourth after two more walks to bring his game total to three free passes. Cantillo was eventually charged with a run on a Judge sacrifice fly that put the Yankees up 4-0.
"Joey's done a good job for us coming out of the bullpen," Vogt said of the decision to go to Cantillo in such a high-leverage spot. "That inning just kind of got away from us."
Andrew Walters added another wild pitch in the eighth, bringing the team's total to five and tying the postseason record.
Cobb, making just his second start after missing a month with a blister on his right hand, labored through 2 2/3 innings while throwing 65 pitches. He got through jams in the first and second before Juan Soto got him with a solo home run to lead off the third, and he wound up leaving with the bases loaded and was charged with the two runs that scored due to Cantillo's wildness.
At one point, Vogt and Jeff Desjardins had to go out and check on Cobb's health. Vogt confirmed after the game that the 37-year-old's left hip and back were acting up, and his future status is somewhat in question.
While Cleveland's pitchers struggled, Carlos Rodón lived up to the massive contract the Yankees gave him last season, striking out nine over six sterling innings. It marks the first postseason victory of his career, with his fastball and slider combo fooling Guards hitters up and down the lineup card.
Giancarlo Stanton added a solo blast for New York that made it 5-1 in the seventh. Cleveland rallied in the eighth to make it 5-2 and actually brought the tying run to the plate, but the Yanks went with their closer Luke Weaver, who struck out pinch-hitter Will Brennan before getting José Ramírez to roll over on a changeup and ground out to second.
Weaver came back out for the ninth and struck out the side to complete the five-out save. Overall, Guardians batters fanned 14 times.
Ramírez was 0 for 4 on the night with a pair of lineouts to Judge in center field, dropping his average to .150 this postseason. Josh Naylor was hitless in his four at-bats as well, with three Ks.
Brayan Rocchio provided most of what little offense the Guardians could muster with, including a solo homer in the sixth that put the team on the board. Steven Kwan also had a single and an RBI to extend his playoff hitting streak to 11 games dating back to 2022, passing Kenny Lofton for the club record.
After Cobb and Cantillo faltered, Pedro Avila gave Cleveland some length with 2 2/3 scoreless frames. Vogt was able to avoid using all of his big bullpen arms, seemingly giving him a full arsenal for Game 2.
That second game Tuesday night will see Guardians righty Tanner Bibee match up against Yankees ace Gerrit Cole. The reigning AL Cy Young winner is 10-2 lifetime against Cleveland with a 2.69 ERA, including three wins in three playoff starts.