Behind an ace performance from Gerrit Cole and home runs from Harrison Bader and Anthony Rizzo, the Yankees took Game 1 of the ALDS, 4-1. There were nervous moments in the third, but Cole made the necessary mid-frame adjustment to ward off the big inning. And while the offense maybe wasn’t firing on all cylinders, they rode the long ball to victory on an exciting Tuesday night in the Bronx.
The Guardians made Cole work in the first, running up his pitch count to 24. He certainly wasn’t helped by Isiah Kiner-Falefa booting a routine grounder from Amed Rosario, but no harm no foul as Cole got out of the inning unscathed with a pair of strikeouts to boot.