CLEVELAND — The Yankees return home after surviving a scare here and will have a packed house at Yankee Stadium behind them for the deciding Game 5 against the gritty Guardians on Monday night. Presumably, some of the fine folks at Major League Baseball will be quietly rooting, too.
With the Dodgers and Braves out of the playoff picture, the Yankees’ chances to run the table improved without them even lifting a bat. For the same reason — the surprise extinction of powerhouses L.A. and defending-champion Atlanta — some MLB people presumably wouldn’t mind seeing the Yankees keep going, for at least another round, and better still, two more.
If they can beat Cleveland on Monday night, the Yankees have a date with hated Houston. Of the teams that despise the Astros, the Yankees are probably first on that list, making for a great storyline. An Astros-Guardians series wouldn’t bring nearly the same buzz.
The upstart Guardians are a nice story, sure, especially for hardcore fans. But to draw in the casual fan, the historic franchise is a near necessity. Folks either love the Yankees, or love to hate them. Indifference is no option.
One positive sign: The Yankees’ confidence never seemed to waver, even after the walk-off defeat Saturday night that pushed them to the cusp of elimination.
“If there’s a game being played, we feel we’re in the driver’s seat,” said Harrison Bader, the Bronxville Bomber who’s a sudden star. “The level of expectation is high. I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The mood clearly has brightened in 24 hours. Yankees barely got out of here alive but have to feel better about themselves after their 4-2 victory Sunday night, thanks to the golden, $324 million arm of Gerrit Cole and the surprising power bat of Bader, whose trade here looks better by the day. It was also nice to see All-Star closer Clay Holmes looking healthy the night after he was surprisingly rested to protect his health (and watched the Guardians execute a stirring comeback win), and throwing a scoreless inning in relief of Cole, who threw 110 pitches over seven innings and continues to show he’s a money pitcher.
Bader is building a legend, thanks to his three-homer series. So those who detested and derided his trade from St. Louis for middle-of-the-road starter Jordan Montgomery can address their letters of apology to Brian Cashman, Yankee Stadium, 161st and River.
The Yankees accomplished their goal of bringing this series back to The Bronx. While they will rely on No. 4 starter Jameson Taillon, and undoubtedly the ultimate example of manager Aaron Boone’s mix and match bullpen plan, which went a bit off course in Game 3 as Boone protected Holmes and his shoulder.
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The Yankee Stadium crowd will be ready to give a boost to their $260 million team, which has its hands full with the $60 million Guardians, who deserve a pat on the back for going this far. It’s a really nice Midwestern story with their fun and outstanding manager, terrific pitching and the anonymous band that doesn’t ever quit.
This isn’t always said aloud. But as far as the country is concerned, it’s enough already. The Guardians, while deserving of our admiration for getting this far after trading off a trio of stars (including Mr. Smiles himself, Francisco Lindor), can remain mostly anonymous for another year.
The nation wants to see the Yankees back in the World Series, where they belong but haven’t been since 2009, when CC Sabathia was their ace, all-time winner Derek Jeter was seeking a fifth ring and Alex Rodriguez was only a one-time drug loser. The Yankees have won a lot of games in the 12-year interim, just not the right ones. Deciding games will determine their fate.
“It’s what it’s all about,” Giancarlo Stanton said. “This is what we need to show up for.”
With the field slightly less imposing following the upsets, here’s their best chance to grab that elusive 28th ring. The first step comes Monday night, when they face Aaron Civale and a roster of relievers, which is the Guardians’ strength. This is no gimme, and certainly no time to be looking past the Guardians who won 28 of 32 entering this series and continue to distinguish themselves.
The Yankees also have a chance to curtail that silly talk about how the five-game series are unfair, which was inspired by the upsets of the Braves and Dodgers. As if there aren’t upset in seven-game series.
The Yankees can also show the layoff wasn’t an impediment. It’s true L.A. and especially Atlanta did not look like themselves after their five-game hiatuses. So there may be something to that.
This is mostly for them, though. The Yankees have had the rockiest of 99-win seasons. After looking like they might set a record for victories, they wilted in the dog days, suffering from key injuries and underperformance before superstar Aaron Judge lifted everyone’s spirits by breaking the American League home run record.
Judge provided some great and historic memories for the season — at least 62 of them. But for baseball’s sake and theirs, Judge and Co. had better keep it going.
