Thoughts after Game 4 of the 2024 ALCS

When Jon Berti bobbled that ground ball in the ninth inning, I half-expected him to fire it into the stands. That he didn’t means the Yankees are a Team of Destiny, right? I hope so. The Yankees have a 3-1 lead in the ALCS following that nice, normal, definitely didn’t take years off my life 8-6 win in Game 4. They have three chances to win one game to get to the World Series for the first time since 2009.

This is, officially, the deepest an Aaron Boone team has ever gone in the postseason, surpassing the 2019 team that got to within two wins of the pennant. This team is killing me and I hate it, but I also love it. Winning the World Series ain't supposed to be easy and these Yankees sure know how to make it hard on themselves. Anyway, I am going to be very busy tonight and tomorrow, so I need to do a short post for Game 4. Here’s the most important stuff:

• We need to start referring to Giancarlo Stanton by his proper name: Giancarlo Fucking Stanton. What a legend October G is. Why did the Guardians pitch to him with a base open in the sixth inning? Beats me, but I’m glad they did. Cade Smith, who has been so good all year, is out of gas. He was sitting 94 mph that inning. He’s usually up around 97-98 mph.

• Understandably, there was a lot of talk about the Yankees having to pick themselves up off the mat after that brutal Game 3 loss, then Juan Soto comes out and gives the Yankees a two-run lead two batters into the game. What is the difference between these Yankees and the 2017-23 Yankees? That guy right there. Big game player making big game plays.

• I knew one of Alex Verdugo’s weak grounders would come in handy one day. For real though, good job ambushing the first pitch and beating the Guardians at their own game with the weak contact stuff. The bottom of the order did the damn thing in the ninth inning. Anthony Rizzo, Anthony Volpe, and Verdugo all got hits to win the game, as did Gleyber Torres. Straight up refused to lose.

• Luis Gil wobbled – 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3 K – but did not tip over. Two runs in four innings is about as good as it gets for No. 4 starters in the postseason these days, and one of the two runs he gave up was on one of those bloops to shallow left field the Guardians specialize in. What are you supposed to do when a guy puts this pitch in play? All things considered, nice work Luis.

• Mark Leiter Jr. went from not being on the roster Thursday to pitching what was essentially the two biggest innings of the season Friday (he replaced the injured Ian Hamilton on the roster), which is not great. This bullpen, man. Clay Holmes is bad again, unfortunately, and I don’t know how Tommy Kahnle got three outs before allowing two runs. He’s thrown 44 pitches the last two games and all 44 were changeups. What a cheeky bastard.

• On the bullpen note, I love that Dellin Betances is just a total Yankees fanboy on social media now. Bring him in to throw out the ceremonial first pitch one of these days, Yankees.

• Please just put Rizzo in the cleanup spot between Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. Jazz Chisholm Jr. has been a complete zero all postseason. You’re just making life easy on Cleveland by sandwiching an easy out between Judge and Stanton. If you must stick a lefty between them, put Rizzo there.

• And finally, the World Series will officially begin next Friday. MLB came up with a flexible schedule this year that would have moved Game 1 up to Tuesday if both Championship Series ended in five or fewer games, but that didn’t happen. The Mets beat the Dodgers to force Game 6 earlier in the day Friday. So, if the Yankees handle their business, Game 1 is next Friday.

It’ll be Carlos Rodón vs. Tanner Bibee in Game 5 on Saturday night (8pm ET on TBS). Cleveland is starting Bibee on short rest after he threw only 1.1 innings and 39 pitches in Game 2. Their bullpen is gassed – so is the Yankees’ bullpen – so grind him down again, and things should be okay. One win away from a pennant, five wins away from a parade.