|
Cole's 110th and final pitch of a clutch postseason start also
prompted the right-hander to shout, "Let's Go" and pump his fist
as he walked off the mound.
Cole delivered seven stellar innings and the visiting New York
Yankees evened the American League Division Series at two games
apiece with a 4-2 victory over the host Cleveland Guardians on
Sunday night.
"Just kept making pitches all night long," New York manager
Aaron Boone said. "And I thought (he) was just really in command
of the moment, and it was obviously a huge start for us and for
him. And to get us that deep in the game set us up real nice."
Game 5 is Monday night in New York, with Jameson Taillon
expected to start for the Yankees against the Guardians' Aaron
Civale in what likely will be a bullpen game for both teams. The
winner heads to Houston to open the AL Championship Series on
Wednesday.
Harrison Bader hit his third homer of the series and his second
off Cal Quantrill (0-2) as the Yankees raced out to a 3-0 lead
in the second.
Anthony Rizzo hit an RBI single in the first and Giancarlo
Stanton lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth for the Yankees, who
have scored 15 runs in the series. The Yankees evened the series
after moving Oswaldo Cabrera to shortstop in place of Isiah
Kiner-Falefa and starting Aaron Hicks in left field.
Jose Ramirez hit an RBI single for Cleveland's first run and
Josh Naylor homered for the Guardians, whose two wins in the
series have come in their last at-bats on go-ahead hits by
rookie Oscar Gonzalez.
Cole allowed two runs on six hits to improve to 10-5 in 16
career postseason starts, and he got his second win in six
starts in an elimination playoff game. The $324 million ace
struck out eight and walked one, and was and seemed to get
stronger as the game continued, hitting 97 mph.
"Our guys had that look in their eyes tonight, and it starts
with Gerrit," Rizzo said.
In the seventh, Cole had a runner at second when Andres Gimenez
singled and advanced when Bader bobbled the ball in center
field.
Cole then struck out Gabriel Arias for the second out. After a
second mound visit to give Holmes more time, Cole threw three
straight fastballs past Brennan, including the final one when
the rookie attempted to call time from plate umpire Will Little.
"I think he was probably out of gas the last two, three
hitters," Boone said. "Just a huge, big-time performance in this
environment and to get us back home."
"I do that (empty the tank) every time I pitch," Cole said.
"Whether he lets me or not, that's another deal."
After not being used in the ninth inning Saturday when Wandy
Peralta and Clarke Schmidt combined to allow three earned runs
in a 6-5 Game 3 loss, Holmes issued a one-out walk to Steven
Kwan but fanned Ramirez on a slider to end the eighth. Peralta
needed just seven pitches in a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.
"I thought he threw the ball really well and was very much under
control too," Boone said of Holmes, who has dealt with a sore
shoulder recently.
Cleveland was held to six hits and went 1-for-5 with runners in
scoring position, one day after ripping 15 hits and going
9-for-17 with runners in scoring position in Saturday's 6-5 win.
"If you would have told me back in March we just signed up to
play Game 5 in New York, to go to the ALCS, I would have jogged
to New York," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said.
The Yankees' Gleyber Torres led off the game with a single,
stole second when Aaron Judge struck out and just beat the relay
throw on Rizzo's single to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead.
After Josh Donaldson opened the second with a single, Bader hit
a first-pitch cutter into the left field seats.
Ramirez's bloop single to left on an 0-2 pitch against the shift
got Cleveland within one run in the third, but the third baseman
overran first base and was easily thrown out to end the inning.
Naylor opened the fourth by hitting a 2-2 fastball to
right-center. Naylor rounded the bases swinging his arms back
and forth in excitement in a reaction that hardly bothered Cole.
"Whatever," Cole said. "It's cute."
Cole then retired the final 10 hitters before the pivotal
sequence in the seventh.
Quantrill allowed three runs on four hits in five innings. He
struck out three and walked one.
"He competed like crazy," Francona said.
--Larry Fleisher, Field Level Media
[© 2022 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |
|
