Inside The Pinstripes

Yankees Flash World Series Formula in First Game of Postseason

Gerrit Cole was dominant in Game 1 against the Guardians, but he wouldn't have been as good as he was without several contributions on defense behind him

Max Goodman

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NEW YORK — As one of the few members of this Yankees roster with a World Series ring, first baseman Anthony Rizzo knows a thing or two about what it takes to win a championship. 

On Tuesday, after New York's victory in Game 1 of the American League Division Series over the Guardians at Yankee Stadium, the veteran reiterated a catchphrase that he's uttered on multiple occasions since he was acquired by this club at last year's trade deadline.

"What's going to take us to the promised land is pitching and defense," he said. 

In Game 1 against Cleveland, New York showed that they have what it takes to be elite at both while sprinkling in a couple long balls and a dash of resiliency. 

The night didn't begin as starter Gerrit Cole and the Yankees would've hoped. After taking a moment to relax in the tunnel before his first postseason start at Yankee Stadium in pinstripes, locking it in during New York's pregame festivities, Cole quickly found himself working out of the stretch, monitoring traffic.

An error from shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa forced Cole to throw 24 pitches in the top of the first. It's a play Kiner-Falefa should have made, a sharp ground ball to his glove side.

Two innings later, after Cole allowed a solo home run to left fielder Steven Kwan—a contact hitter that had the second-lowest hard hit percentage (20.8) among all qualifying players during the regular season—José Ramírez drilled a double into the gap in left-center field. 

Yankees fans had a here we go again moment, groaning as the baseball whistled over Kiner-Falefa's head at 105.5 mph. With Amed Rosario running from first, it seemed like an RBI double in the making, giving Cleveland what would be a 2-0 lead with one out. Plus, Cole seemed to be flustered, struggling to avoid hard contact while needing extra pitches to put hitters away. That and Kwan's homer were all tell-tale signs that the ace was in the process of unraveling. 

That's when center fielder Harrison Bader cut the line drive off before the warning track, quickly firing a strike to the cutoff man to hold Rosario at third base. It won't show up in the box score or the highlight reels—like one of Bader's diving catches—but his jump, acceleration and execution to get the ball in saved a run, keeping New York's deficit at one. 

"Excellent defensive play there," Cole said after the game, comparing that moment to a play center fielder George Springer made behind him in the 2019 World Series, holding Howie Kendrick of the Nationals to a single in a big spot.

Similar to that play in his final moments with the Astros, Cole capitalized, getting out of the jam. Still, he was up to 60 pitches through three frames at that point. He needed to find some efficiency soon, otherwise the bullpen would be entering the game.

Right on cue, Cole produced an eight-pitch inning in the fourth, a frame where he unlocked another tier of dominance and once again, leaned on his defense. 

Left fielder Oswaldo Cabrera made a leaping play at the wall in foul territory on the first pitch of the fourth, losing his hat as he hauled it in.

Two pitches later, Josh Donaldson made a sliding stab at the hot corner, unleashing a long throw from beyond the third base bag for out number two. Cole handled the rest, striking center fielder Myles Straw out on a pretty breaking ball.

Cole settled in and finished with 6.1 innings of one-run ball on just four hits, retiring 11 of the final 13 batters he faced. He struck out eight Guardians, an impressive feat against the team that had the lowest strikeout percentage (18.2) in baseball this year. 

Without those three plays on defense behind him, who knows how deep Cole would've been able to pitch in Tuesday night's game. New York mixed in a few double plays after Yankees manager Aaron Boone called to the bullpen as well, more redemption for Kiner-Falefa and more moments where those in pinstripes retained momentum.

"I thought we gave them a couple free bases there in the first couple innings, but really got really good defensively as the game wore on and made some really good plays behind him," Boone said. "Gerrit did a really good job of owning the moment, being unpredictable and I thought his breaking ball was really, really on point tonight."

Quite frankly, New York's defensive improvements haven't been discussed enough this year. It's an unsung reason why they were able to win 99 games and win a division title. The Yankees were the second-worst defensive team in baseball when it comes to defensive runs saved in 2021. This year, they led the league in that same category, by a significant margin. That group got even better when they acquired Bader at the deadline and moved Cabrera to the outfield as well.

"That's part of why they are better than they were before," Guardians manager Terry Francona said. "I hope it doesn't lead to a win the next game. They are a much better defensive team, that's for sure."

Against a team that excels at putting the ball in play, it's clear New York's strong defense—and overwhelming arms like Cole—will be the key going forward in this series. That applies for the rest of this club's postseason run as well, a deciding factor as to how long the Yankees can survive and advance. 

Factor in the Yankees' prodigious power from all parts of their lineup—home runs from Rizzo in the No. 3 spot and Bader out of the No. 9 spot—and their bullpen stepping up in the face of adversity and there's your formula to win a World Series. Now, the Yankees need to just find a way to replicate that kind of performance 10 more times. 

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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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