Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Advance to ALCS, Eliminate Guardians With Win in Game 5

Leaning on the home run ball and a few spectacular pitching performances, the Yankees have advanced to the next round.

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — The Yankees are headed back to the American League Championship Series, set to face a familiar foe.

New York took care of business in Game 5 of the American League Division Series against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium, never breaking a sweat in a 5-1 victory.

Now, after a quick postgame celebration and some roster shuffling, the Yankees will head to Houston, taking on the top-seeded Astros in the ALCS for the third time in the last six years. 

Tuesday night's winner-take-all game in the Bronx felt like it was over in the first inning. 

When Cleveland stuck with Aaron Civale as their starter after Monday night's postponement—a right-hander with awful numbers from the regular season against the Yankees—there was an opportunity for New York to jump in front and give their pitching staff a cushion. 

Civale ended up facing just five hitters in the first, digging his team into an early hole. After a walk and a hit by pitch, Giancarlo Stanton smacked a three-run home run to right-center field, sparking an explosion from the crowd in the Bronx.

The opposite-field shot gave New York exactly what they needed. It set the tone, got the crowd into the game (as fans were still trickling into the ballpark for a 4:07 p.m. first pitch) and gave Nestor Cortes some run support.

Factor in a solo shot from Aaron Judge in the second, his 64th long ball in 2022, and the Yankees were in prime position to cruise through the rest of the game.

Cortes proceeded to throw five innings of one-run ball, another brilliant performance from the All-Star. Cortes was pitching on short rest, coming back after his start in Game 2 of this series on Friday. 

The only point of his outing where the Guardians strung some quality at-bats together and had a shot to do some damage came in the third. José Ramírez stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and one man out. Down 4-0, Cleveland could've tied the game with one swing, if not cut their deficit down with an extra base hit.

Ramírez whacked a deep fly ball to center field, but it was routine for Harrison Bader, good for a sacrifice fly. Cortes got Oscar Gonzalez to fly out two pitches later, ending the threat. 

Once Cortes was taken out of the game following his fifth inning of work, Yankees manager Aaron Boone stuck to the formula that he's been using out of the bullpen throughout this series. Jonathan Loáisiga was magnificent over two innings, working through some traffic in the sixth. Clay Holmes pitched a perfect eighth. Then Wandy Peralta, making his fifth appearance of this five-game series, closed it out in the ninth.

Game 1 of the ALCS will take place on Wednesday night in Houston. The Astros have been patiently waiting for their opponent after finishing off a sweep of the Mariners on Saturday, so they'll be rested, but also rusty. The Yankees have some momentum from their win on Tuesday, but their pitching staff will be tested. 

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

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