For the second night in a row, the New York Yankees scored two runs off Emmanuel Clase, the Cleveland Guardians' struggling star closer. This time, though, they made the runs stand, taking a thrilling 8-6 victory that gave them a three-games-to-one lead in the American League Championship Series.
After allowing just five earned runs in the regular season, when he posted a 0.61 ERA, Clase has given up eight in six postseason appearances, with a 10.29 ERA.
The Yankees built a 6-2 lead through six innings with homers by Juan Soto, Austin Wells and Giancarlo Stanton. But they lost the lead in the eighth when Cleveland's Bo Naylor doubled and scored on a two-out infield single.
Despite first base being open and the Guardians having left-handed reliever Tim Herrin ready to face Rizzo, they chose to pitch to Stanton. It was the wrong decision. Smith threw a 94 mph fastball at the top of the zone, which Stanton sent 404 feet over the left-field wall for a towering home run.
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