CLEVELAND– Juan Soto hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th inning and the New York Yankees advanced to their 41st World Series – and first in 15 years – by beating the Cleveland Guardians 5-2 in Game 5 of the AL Championship Series. Saturday evening.
Baseball’s biggest brand returns to the main stage this October.
Soto, who was acquired in a seven-player trade with San Diego in December, put the Bronx Bombers in position with a big move.
The Yankees will try to win their 28th title against the New York Mets or the Los Angeles Dodgers. Game 6 of the NL Championship Series is Sunday at Dodger Stadium.
In the 10th, Austin Wells walked with one out and Alex Verdugo followed with a grounder to second baseman Andrés Giménez, whose soft throw into the bag was dropped by rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio for an error.
Gaddis struck out Gleyber Torres and got Soto on a 1-2 count before the sleek New York outfielder sent a shot over the wall in center. Soto danced down the first-base line and stopped to celebrate with his teammates before circling the bases.
“I was just like, ‘You’re all over this guy. You are everywhere with this guy. He has nothing,” Soto said.
Giancarlo Stanton hit a two-run homer for the Yankees, who took care of the Guardians in five games, but it didn’t come easy.
New York won the first two at Yankee Stadium without much fanfare or drama. However, it was a different story in Cleveland, as all three games at Progressive Field were exciting.
The Guardians rallied to win Game 3 on two two-run home runs in their final two at-bats, and the Yankees held on to win Game 4 after blowing a four-run lead.
Cleveland just didn’t have enough, and a surprising season under first-year manager Stephen Vogt ended just short of a World Series. The franchise has remained without a title since 1948, baseball’s longest current drought.
The Yankees are back in the World Series, where their fans wait for them every year.
The club’s 82-80 fourth-place finish in the AL East last season led to some “soul searching as an organization” over the winter, according to manager Aaron Boone, who has been widely criticized but is the one of only three managers to gain the upper hand. New York to the playoffs in six of his first seven seasons.
While the team’s core remained mostly intact, having Soto in a blockbuster trade on Dec. 7 — New York sent five players to San Diego for the three-time All-Star outfielder — hastened the return of the title contender team.
“It was a good day,” Boone said with a laugh before the game.
Stanton’s 446-foot rocket into the left field bleachers tied it at 2 in the sixth and chased off Tanner Bibee, who had struck out New York’s dangerous DH in his first two at-bats and held the Yankees scoreless for the first five rounds.
It was Stanton’s fourth home run of the series – his third in three days – and his 16th in the postseason, placing him fourth on the club’s career list behind Bernie Williams (22), Derek Jeter (20). ) and Mickey Mantle (18). .
Before the game, Boone was asked what made Stanton so good.
“He can hit harder than anyone, first of all,” Boone said. “So there’s the physical nature of what he does that’s different than almost everyone else in the world.”
But Boone went on to compliment Stanton’s discipline at the plate, “his approach, his process, the way he studies guys.” »
“There’s something he does when he gets to know people besides being very physically gifted,” Boone said.
The Guardians took a 2-0 lead in the fifth against Carlos Rodón on Steven Kwan’s RBI single with two outs. But Cleveland missed a big chance to get more, leaving the bases loaded when Lane Thomas grounded out on Mark Leiter Jr.’s first pitch.
TRAINERS ROOM
Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (sprained elbow) had another successful live batting practice session. The reliever remains on track to join the Yankees on their World Series roster. Boone said Cortes will launch again early next week. Cortes went 9-10 with a 3.77 ERA in 30 starts.
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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
