MLB Playoffs: Yankees and Guardians show new flaws in ALCS Game 3

The Yankees missed a golden opportunity for a commanding ALCS lead last night when the Guardians led them to a decisive win in Game 3. Although the Yankees still hold a 2-1 lead in the series, they let their opponents back in. They took the boots off Cleveland and gave up the momentum they carried with them after taking care of business in the Bronx had taken care of. As the franchise knows all too well, momentum can only take you so far in this sport, but it's still a devastating feeling the morning after.

ALCS Game 3 was about strength versus strength. It was hard to believe that the same Guardians team that went down with a whimper in the first two games of the ALCS won 92 games in the regular season to capture the AL Central title in a division with three playoff teams. But after taking the lead for the first time in the series, Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt was able to utilize what had been his winning formula for most of the year: the “Four Horsemen” who resided in his bullpen.

Cade Smith, the first man out, seemed unbeatable as he drove in a four-pitter that was worth 28 runs in the regular season, retiring Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on 10 pitches. Tim Herrin got into more trouble, allowing a walk by Jazz Chisholm Jr. and a double by Anthony Volpe. But the southpaw, who has turned more than half the balls into ground balls this season, got Jon Berti – who started in place of Anthony Rizzo only to hit lefties – to turn on a slider for a double play, who kept the Yankees away from the board. Hunter Gaddis made quick work of pinch-hitting Austin Wells and Gleyber Torres before striking out Soto, paving the way for the Guardians' far-from-secret late-inning weapon.

That's when Vogt's plan failed. Following All-Star campaigns in 2022 and 2023, Emmanuel Clase has now been unanimously named the best closer in baseball after posting a ridiculous 0.61 ERA in 74 appearances this season. Even after a recent shocking save by Kerry Carpenter and the Tigers in the ALDS, he was considered a no-brainer.

Clase took a 2-0 lead against Judge and it looked like the Yankee captain had another frustrating missed opportunity at a crucial point. Instead, after spitting on a ball from the outside corner, Judge fired a 99-mph cutter in the opposite direction that snaked over the right field wall to tie the game. Stanton followed with a rough hit that had him fouling out for four throws before getting a hanging slider. He didn't miss it. When the ball landed, the Yankees were back in the lead, showing once and for all that good hitting can beat good pitching.

Although the Yankees were unfortunately unable to maintain that lead, as their own closer Luke Weaver and their former closer Clay Holmes allowed two runs in the ninth and 10th home runs, respectively, the opportunity to get to Clase could pay dividends as the series progresses ahead. He has now allowed six runs in six innings this postseason after allowing just ten all season, and he also has a checkered history against the Yanks dating back to 2022. Given how sharp Smith, and to a lesser extent Gaddis, have looked, will Vogt continue to turn to his all-world closer in the biggest spots? Given Vogt's iron faith in him, the answer is almost certainly yes at the moment, but that the possibility can even be considered speaks volumes.

Of course, the Yankees bullpen performed even worse. Ian Hamilton left the game with an injury in the sixth, potentially reducing the Yankees' bullpen depth going forward.

Tim Mayza and Tommy Kahnle both got into trouble but kept the train on the tracks for Luke Weaver. After allowing a home run to Jose Ramirez in Game 2, the Yankees' closer allowed a game-winning two-run moonshot to Jhonkensy Noel last night that cost the Yankees the lead. Given his recent success and the fact that Kahnle and Holmes, the Yankees' other two closing options, also look shaky, Aaron Boone is unlikely to make a move toward closer. But the honeymoon is over for Weaver and both he and Holmes are in desperate need of rest after playing in all of the Yankees' first seven games this postseason.

Pitching wasn't the only problem. Jose Trevino got his first start of the postseason with Wells in an ugly breakdown, but he got a clutch hit in the second, a classic Trevino-opposite grounder through a tucked infield that put the Yankees on the field. But on the next attack he was inexplicably shot down, ruining a possible rally.

More importantly, with former Platinum Glover behind the plate, the Guardians took a clear approach: run early and run often. And as was the case all year, they were able to execute that plan without much resistance from the Yankees' backstop, who once again looked exposed behind the plate and nearly threw at least one ball into the outfield. Despite Wells' anemic offense in recent weeks, Boone has had to think long and hard about giving Trevino another start behind the plate this postseason, even against another left-hander, with the veteran backstop's inability to control the run game a big one represented a burden.

The first base also experienced a certain degree of uncertainty again. As mentioned, Berti had a somewhat surprising start against Rizzo, who had looked good in the first two games of the series. Berti made a few nice plays, but there were also a few that didn't look quite as sharp. However, when Rizzo replaced him as the defensive replacement, he let a very playable ball roll past him in the eighth and scored a leadoff double. Then he made a complete mistake at the start of the ninth race.

If healthy, Rizzo should maintain a stranglehold on the position. But the decision to bench him last night implies (even with a left-handed hitter on the field) that his two broken fingers could be an ongoing issue that needs to be evaluated on a game-by-game basis. Don't be surprised if Berti or Oswaldo Cabrera show up again before the end of the series.

Neither Trevino nor Rizzo cost the Yankees the game last night. Had the Yankees won and taken a commanding 3-0 lead, their problems would be largely irrelevant. But now that the Guardians have made this a series, Boone and Yankees executives have some decisions to make about how they deploy their lineup — and more importantly, their defensive alignment — the rest of the way.