Carlos Rodón delivers supreme outing as Yankees take ALCS Game 1 from Guardians.

The New York Yankees took the lead in the American League Championship Series on Monday, securing a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Guardians in the Bronx with a strategy they know well. Carlos Rodón delivered six impressive innings as the starting pitcher. The Yankees capitalized on their opportunities, drawing six walks during a stretch of nine batters in the third and fourth innings.

They also saw home runs from two of their star hitters, Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton, while Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver provided excellent relief, closing out the game for the save. After a rough outing on the mound, where reliever Joey Cantillo set a postseason record with four wild pitches, the Guardians will look to their ace, Tanner Bibee, and a refreshed bullpen for Game 2 on Tuesday. However, they will be up against the Yankees' top starter, Gerrit Cole, who performed impressively in Kansas City last week during the division series.

Flawless

Rodón admired Gerrit Cole's composed performance against the Kansas City Royals in Game 4 of the American League Division Series and aimed to emulate that steadiness in Game 1 of the ALCS. He focused on managing his emotions better than he did in Game 2 of the ALDS, and on Monday, he executed flawlessly as a focused, strike-throwing machine. Rodón's performance against the Guardians was outstanding, allowing only three hits and one run—a solo homer by shortstop Brayan Rocchio in the sixth inning.

He recorded nine strikeouts and achieved 25 swings-and-misses, the highest for a Yankees pitcher in the postseason since the pitch-tracking era began in 2008. The Yankees had considered starting either Rodón or Clarke Schmidt for Game 1 but ultimately opted for Rodón, believing his pitching style would be effective against the Guardians, despite their strong performance against left-handed pitchers during the regular season.

Rodón's performance was significant, showcasing exactly why the Yankees invested $162 million in him two offseasons back.

 

Brayan Rocchio Home Run

Rodón's only hiccup of the evening occurred when Brayan Rocchio hit a home run to start the sixth inning. However, he didn’t let it rattle him. There was no sign of confusion as he watched Rocchio's shot clear the left-field fence. He quickly bounced back, retiring the next three batters and capped off his performance by giving a nod to Aaron Judge, who made a spectacular catch on a line drive from José Ramírez for the final out of the sixth. Rodón successfully faced the Guardians slugger three times without allowing a hit. "I think he was very mindful of how his last outing went and how emotions got the better of him early on," Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake noted. "That was something he focused on throughout the game. You could see him trying to maintain his composure each inning and just keep getting those outs."

The Yankees are just three victories away from reaching the World Series for the first time since 2009, boasting a 4-1 record in this postseason. The only loss came from Rodón. He started strong in Game 2 of the Division Series against Kansas City, dominating the first three innings without allowing a run and celebrating as if it were a quick sprint rather than the marathon that is a successful October campaign. However, he faltered in the fourth inning, surrendering all four runs and unable to finish the inning. With ace Gerrit Cole securing the win in Kansas City and Rodón set to pitch Game 1 in the ALCS, he cannot afford to repeat that performance.

Guardians Pitching Hell

The Guardians faced a tough time on the mound during the third inning. It all started with a home run, followed by a walk, and then a short pause for trainers to check on Cobb. After a strikeout, there was another walk, a flyout, and yet another walk. A pitching change occurred, leading to a wild pitch that allowed a run to score, followed by another wild pitch that brought in another run. The inning concluded with a strikeout. In total, the Yankees scored three runs on just one hit, while their hitters mostly just had to stand there. Cobb left the game after 2 2/3 innings, having thrown 65 pitches.

Cantillo struggled during his warmup, with his first pitch sailing to the backstop, and he lacked control in a situation where precision was crucial. Out of 21 pitches, only seven found the strike zone. The rookie faced four batters, walked three of them, and threw four wild pitches—matching the total he had in 38 2/3 innings during the regular season.

The Guardians relied heavily on their bullpen to narrowly defeat the Detroit Tigers in five games during the ALDS, showcasing the best ERA in the league, which was over half a run better than any other team’s bullpen. However, to compete in a seven-game series against the Yankees, they will need their starting pitchers to step up. A small positive from the Game 1 defeat is that Pedro Avila, who was added to the ALCS roster after being a supportive presence during the ALDS, managed to pitch 2 2/3 innings in relief of Cantillo. This performance allowed manager Stephen Vogt to avoid using his top four relievers: Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis, and Emmanuel Clase.

Yankees Execute Their Game Plan Perfectly

Whatever strategy the Yankees had in mind for Game 1, it likely couldn’t have unfolded any better than it did. They witnessed what might have been Rodón’s finest outing in a Yankees uniform. They put early pressure on Cobb, forcing him out of the game after just 2 2/3 innings, and managed to avoid facing Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clase, the top arms in the Guardians’ formidable bullpen. The team's star hitters also made significant contributions.

Soto kicked off the scoring with a solo home run in the third inning against Cobb, a pitcher he had historically performed well against. Aaron Judge added a sacrifice fly and crossed home plate himself. Stanton hit a solo homer in the seventh, pushing their lead to 5-1. Even Anthony Rizzo made his mark with a single in his first at-bat and a walk, showing that the two fractured fingers on his right hand, which sidelined him during the ALDS, weren’t a hindrance. While two of the Yankees’ runs came from wild pitches, they effectively positioned themselves to take advantage of Cleveland’s errors.