CLEVELAND – Nothing has come easy for the Yankees this year.
But for the first time in 15 years, they finally returned to the World Series.
Who else played the hero but Juan Soto, delivering a two-out, three-run home run in the top of the 10th inning to send the Yankees to a 5-2 victory over the Guardians, who had punched their ticket and secured the American League pennant. A fall classic.
A third straight tense, dramatic game was left to the bullpens, and it was Soto, the Yankees’ offseason trade gift who changed their outlook for the year, and he came up with a huge swing.
Luke Weaver, coming off his first career save in Game 3, nailed the final three outs of a six-out effort that sent the Yankees rushing onto the field in celebration.
Since their last World Series appearance in 2009, the Yankees have advanced to the ALCS five times and lost all five, the last three of them to the Astros.
This time, they’re coming off a disastrous 82-80 season, but beat the Royals in the ALDS, hold off the pesky Guardians in the ALCS and will face the Dodgers or Mets in the World Series starting Friday.
Austin Wells started the rally with one out in the 10th inning, drawing a full-count walk from Hunter Gaddis.
Alex Verdugo came up next and hit a double play ball to second base that Andres Gimenez flipped to second, but shortstop Brian Rocchio dropped it, allowing both runners to be safe.
One out later, Soto reached a 1-1 count before fouling off four pitches and then hitting a 95-mph ball into the top of the zone for a 402-foot homer.
Giancarlo Stanton had tied the game 2-2 with a 446-foot home run in the sixth inning, striking out Tanner BB, who had mostly gone to the spot after escaping a first-inning jam.
It marked Stanton’s fourth hit of the ALCS, and all four were home runs as the veteran DH’s October legend got another chapter.
The Yankees bullpen was forced to account for 16 outs after Carlos Rodon had allowed 15 runs in each of the last two days after just 4 ²/₃ innings.
On Saturday, two outs from Mark Leiter Jr., four from the gutsy Tim Hill (he pitched for the fifth time in the past six days) and four from Jake Cousins (all on strikeouts) capped Weaver’s run in the ninth.
Leiter, who delivered five big outs in Game 4 on his first day on the playoff roster, entered the bullpen in the fifth inning with runners on second and third and threw a ball to Jose Ramirez before the Yankees decided to walk him intentionally.
But Leiter got out of the jam by grounding Lane Thomas.
Then, after Stanton tied the game in the sixth with his brutal home run, the leadoff man walked in the bottom of the inning before Jankenzie Noel popped up for a full count.
Aaron Boone then singled to left to Hill, who gave up a single to Bo Naylor, but then got Gimenez into an inning-ending double play.
Hill came back in the seventh, walked Rocchio on 11 pitches — two borderline pitches didn’t help his cause — and got Steven Kwan to ground into another double play, starting first baseman Osvaldo Cabrera. innings.
