Luis Gil could be El Duque 2.0 in Game 4 for the Yankees-Guardians

The scene is Jacobs Field in Cleveland, Ohio, on Saturday, October 10, 1998.

Cleveland's then-popular Indians lead the series 2-1 against the strong, powerful New York Yankees. A win tonight would almost be a coup considering New York won 114 regular season games. Plus, Cleveland has momentum after defeating so-called “big game pitcher” Andy Pettitte 6-1 in Game 3.

And the Yankees respond by throwing a random rookie sensation on the mound in Game 4? Things didn't look great after Game 3 and Game 2 was also lost due to Chuck Knoblauch's fatal mistake.

Joking aside, everyone remembers how that turned out. The rookie sensation at the start of Game 4 was none other than Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, who took the mound and silenced the crowd. Using his signature high-leg kick, Hernandez threw seven shutout innings and allowed just three hits while recording six strikeouts.

New York won the game 4-0 and evened the series before winning Games 5 and 6 to clinch the pennant and later the World Series.

Well, history kind of repeats itself. The Yankees and Cleveland face off again in the ALCS, with Game 4 taking place Friday night in Cleveland. The only difference is that New York leads the series 2-1, but Cleveland eked out a win in Game 3.

And instead of El Duque, the Yankees have rookie fireballer Luis Gil taking the mound. Can he channel history and give the Yankees a World Series victory?

He definitely had a strong rookie season, especially after Tommy John surgery. Gil went 15-7 with a 3.50 ERA in 29 starts, striking out 171 hitters in 151.2 innings. The downside was that he also led the majors in walks. The rookie's fatigue and opposing teams testing his skills humbled him across the board. Remember, Gil was 9-1 with a 2.04 ERA in his first 14 starts.

However, we have a smaller sample. Gil actually faced the Guardians at Yankee Stadium in August and struggled. He gave up three runs on three hits and struck out three in three innings … and walked six. The Yankees ultimately lost the game 9-5 after extra innings.

That doesn't give Luis Gil much hope for tonight, but the start in August also has something of an asterisk. After that game, Gil was placed on the injured list with a bad back. He returned in September and went 4-1 in five starts, albeit with a 4.00 ERA and 5.39 FIP.

Here's the challenge for Luis Gil, a strikeout pitcher facing a team that relies on contact. He can't let the walks get him down and can't be too happy with the fastball or slider either. That's a recipe for leaving balls hanging in the zone and getting hit hard.

Rather, expect Gil to showcase his power change much more in Game 4. Hernandez was something of a junkballer himself, beating Cleveland in 1998 with breaking pitches.

Additionally, he had fairly mixed results in two starts against Cleveland during the regular season. El Duque was 0-1 with a 3.77 ERA in those two games and gave up more than one hit per inning, a WHIP of 1.46.

He was 12-4 with a 3.15 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP in the regular season.

The parallels are there. Luis Gil and Orlando Hernandez each had strong rookie seasons with their ups and downs. Perhaps even more disadvantages for Gil, simply due to how much the game has evolved in 25 years.

But he had a long break and plenty of time to prepare. The Guardians didn't see him at his worst or his best. Somewhere in between due to injury. He is a competitor and knows what is at stake in this game.

Let's see which version of Luis Gil shows up at the party.