The New York Yankees overpower the lively Cleveland Guardians in the opening encounter of the ALCS.
At Yankee Stadium, packed with 47,264 spectators, Soto smacked a solo home run off Guardians pitcher Alex Cobb, initiating a three-run rally for New York in the third bottom inning.
Following the hit, Cobb – making his first postseason start since 2013 – managed to secure two outs but then walked Yankees power hitters Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Anthony Volpe before being substituted.
With loaded bases and just two outs remaining, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt entrusted rookie reliever Joey Cantillo, who struggled with control. Cantillo released a record four wild pitches in the AL postseason, two of which permitted runs to score, leading the Yankees to a 3-0 advantage.
"That's what robust teams accomplish," Soto stated about the team's decisive third inning. "It's not about one individual, it's about the entire batting lineup and we confirmed today, we put pressure on those players."
"Enduring pitches, earning our walks, getting players over, bases loaded, making those players release errant pitches, and so on. Ultimately, it's a group effort, and we demonstrated that today."
Rodón presented a commendable turnaround from a tough AL Division Series showcase with a superior performance, notching his first postseason triumph.
He retired 11 consecutive Guardians players at one point, ultimately finishing with nine strikes out over six innings, conceding merely one run due to Brayan Rocchio's solo homer in the sixth. Rodon's performance was significant, dismissing 13 of the final 15 batters he encountered.
In Game 2 of the ALDS series against the Kansas City Royals earlier this postseason, Rodón kicked off on a dominant stride but lost control in the fourth inning, enabling four runs before being removed.
"I had control for most of the evening," Rodón mentioned on Monday while discussing managing his emotions. "A few days ago, I observed Gerrit (Cole) pitch that Game 4 in Kansas City, and mentally, I was taking notes on his strategy and approach, and I just wanted to engage in a comparable fashion and I believe I executed well with that tonight."
Stanton expanded New York's edge in the seventh inning with a singular shot to left field, expanding the Yankees' advantage to 5-1.
Cleveland exhibited signs of a resurgence in the eighth inning with hitters connecting for three consecutive singles off Yankees reliever Tim Hill. Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan's grounder to left field resulted in a run, narrowing the gap to 5-2, although that was as close as Cleveland would come.
With the tying player at bat, Yankees manager Aaron Boone called upon closer Luke Weaver for the past five outs. Weaver fanned pinch hitter Will Brennan and managed to get Guardians star third baseman José Ramírez to ground out, ending the threat.
After conceding a walk in the top of the ninth inning, Weaver struck out the subsequent three batters, securing his fourth postseason save and the Yankees victory.
Game 2 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday at Yankee Stadium: Cleveland will deploy ace Tanner Bibee to the mound to even the series, while the Yankees will counter with premier pitcher Gerrit Cole.
Historically, since the ALCS transitioned to a seven-game format, squads that emerged victorious in Game 1 have seized the series 23 times out of 38 occasions (approximately 60.5%), including 10 of the last 13 (nearly 77%).
Soto's home run in the third inning was a testament to the team's strength in baseball, often referred to as 'sport.', The decisive rally demonstrated that the Yankees are not reliant on individual players but rather the collective power of their batting lineup.
Despite Rodon's challenging performance in the previous series against the Kansas City Royals, he displayed significant improvement in this 'sport', earning his first postseason victory with a commendable performance.
