When is Yankees vs. Guardians ALCS Game 4? Date, time and statements

CLEVELAND — Everything can change in a minute in New York, and as it turns out, in a minute in Cleveland too.

Because in one minute, the Yankees saw Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton hit a powerful slam to take a seemingly monumental 3-0 lead in this best-of-seven American League championship series. But the next minute, Jhonkensy Noel and David Fry reminded everyone that, oh yeah, the Guardians are here for a reason.

So we appear to be on a streak after the Guards won a thrilling Game 3 by a 7-5 score in 10 innings at Progressive Field on Thursday.

The Yankees became the first team in MLB postseason history to trail by multiple runs in the eighth inning or later and hit back-to-back home runs to take the lead. They did it against the best closer in the game: Emmanuel Clase. And they still lost. So you know what wasn’t so obvious in two games at Yankee Stadium, but now it is: For the Yanks to clinch their first AL pennant since 2009, they’re going to have to beat a damn annoying Cleveland club that adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

“We never gave up,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “We took a pretty big hit in the face there in the eighth and our guys did a tremendous job for the guy [Clase] That carried us through the whole year. It was really fun to see.”

To keep the fun going, the Guardians would certainly appreciate a strong return from young Gavin Williams, their 24-year-old Game 4 starter who hasn’t played a single game since September 22nd. Williams has electric stuff, but he’s had an erratic year, so — stop us if you’ve heard this before — it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Vogt aggressively go to his bullpen, which, despite Clase’s uncharacteristic home run proneness this postseason , remains his club’s greatest strength.

But the real pressure here may be on a Yankees team that was the overwhelming favorite to knock off another AL Central club and suddenly found itself punched in the mouth. Now that they have actually lost a game to the Guardians, more attention will be paid to the Yankees’ .120 (3-for-25) performance with runners in scoring position in this ALCS, as well as their .150 (9- ) placed. for-60) mark this postseason with RISP.

The Yankees, who will start rookie Luis Gil in this game, have so many walks (six in this round, to be exact) and have so much talent that they are constantly creating opportunities. But actually cashing them in will be key to regaining a comfortable ALCS advantage.

“That’s what we’ve done great all year and what this room has done great all year,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “We had some tough losses that we recovered from. It hurts when you stay there like that, especially when you defend yourself against them like that. So you’re sitting there for a minute, but we’re ready to get started [Friday].”

When does the game take place and how can I watch it?

Game 4 of the American League Championship Series will be played at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Friday at 8:08 p.m. ET. It can be seen on TBS, truTV and Max.

All games are available in the US on MLB.TV (requires authentication with a participating pay-TV provider). Live games are also available in select countries outside the US. Detailed information can be found here.

Who are the starting pitchers?

Yankees: Luis Gil will make his postseason debut, taking the mound for the first time since Sept. 28 against Pittsburgh. After going 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA during the regular season, Gil became a top candidate for AL Rookie of the Year honors, making one appearance against the Guardians this year, on August 20 in New York. It was a tough outing for the right-hander, who allowed three runs and three hits (including a home run by Brayan Rocchio) while walking six batters. But when it’s Gil’s turn, he can be unbeatable: His 17 starts with one or zero runs allowed rank as the fourth-most by a Yankee, behind only Jack Chesbro (18 in 1904), Whitey Ford (18 in 1964) and Ron Guidry (18 in 1978).

Guardian: Gavin Williams will make his postseason debut on Friday. During the ALDS against the Tigers, he was carried in the Guardians’ bullpen in case Cleveland needed a long-term backup option, but he was never used in a game. The right-hander’s last start was on September 22nd. At times this season, Williams looked like the 2023 version of himself, dominating his opponents and barely allowing a goal. At other times, he struggled to get through the first few innings of a game. The fact that he missed the first half of the season with a right elbow injury played a role in the rust he experienced this year, but now the Guardians will have to hope those issues are behind him.

What are the starting lineups?

Yankees: The Yankees move Jazz Chisholm to the mop-up spot against a right-handed hitter.

Guardian: With a right-handed hitter on the mound for the Yankees, the Guardians are sticking with the lineup they had in Game 3.

How will the bullpens line up after the starter?

Yankees: The Yanks will have some usage issues as both Luke Weaver and Clay Holmes have pitched in all seven games New York has played this postseason. That doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t be available, but supplies are starting to run out. Ian Hamilton’s injury in Game 3 doesn’t help either. It might be time for the Yanks to try to get some innings out of Marcus Stroman, who hasn’t pitched in this ALCS yet.

Guardian: Even if Clase had an unusually poor evening, the goal will still be to get the ball into the goalkeeper’s hands as effortlessly as possible. The Guardians will look to lean on the Big Four – Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Clase – as often as possible.

Guardian: Game 1 starter Alex Cobb was diagnosed with a lower back strain, which led to him being left off the ALCS roster on Tuesday. He was replaced by Ben Lively. Infielder/outfielder Tyler Freeman suffered a muscle strain during practice and was left off the ALDS roster and left the ALCS roster.

Who’s hot and who’s not?

Yankees: Did Judge turn things around? The presumptive AL MVP has scored in his last two games after going 2-for-15 in the first five games of this postseason. Stanton continues to be a postseason monster. His three home runs in the playoffs lead all AL players. Volpe was also a tough opponent for his opponents, boasting a .483 on-base percentage in the playoffs. Wells struggled at the plate, posting a 2-of-26 (.077) mark after going hitless in Game 3.

Guardian: It seems obvious that we’re joining Thursday night’s heroes, but how can we ignore Noel and Fry? Fry had some key hits in the postseason, including a big home run in Game 4 of the ALDS against the Tigers before hitting his walk-off home run against the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALCS. And Noel has been waiting for a big success that would free him from his six-week crisis. Maybe his game-winning blast in the bottom of the ninth with two outs was the answer he was looking for.

Is there anything else fans would like to know?

• Cleveland and New York played six games this season, with the Yankees winning four and outscoring the Guardians 37-22. The Yanks won a doubleheader in Cleveland on April 13, but the Guardians handed the Bombers an 8-7 walk-off loss in 10 innings on April 14. New York won two of three games against the Guardians at Yankee Stadium from August 20 to 22.

• Only the Yankees and Dodgers have faced each other more times in postseason history than the Yankees and Cleveland. Their last meeting was the 2022 ALDS, where the Yanks rallied from a 2-1 series deficit thanks to strong performances from Gerrit Cole in Game 4 and Cortes in Game 5. Other series include: 2020 Wild Card Series, 2017 ALDS, 2007 ALDS, 1998 ALCS and 1997 ALDS.

• The Yankees’ current 14-year pennant-less streak is tied for the second-longest such streak in franchise history, trailing only the first 18 seasons (1903-20).