It wasn’t always pretty, but the New York Yankees did just enough Thursday night, as they’ve done this whole American League Division Series. Behind a terrific outing from Gerrit Cole (after some suspect starting pitching to begin the series) and a few clutch hits, the Yankees advanced to the ALCS after beating the Kansas City Royals by a score of 3-1 in Game 4. It is their second ALCS trip in the last three years, and their sixth since their last pennant (and World Series title) in 2009.
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Yankees Advance to ALCS with 3-1 Victory Over Royals
The Yankees jumped in front right away in Game 4. Gleyber Torres led off the game with a double and Juan Soto singled him in. Torres added on in the fifth inning with an RBI single and Giancarlo Stanton added one of his own in the sixth, continuing his clutch performance all series long. But the night really belonged to the Yankees ace.
Cole was in the zone from his first pitch, breezing through five shutout innings before an incident that cleared the benches briefly sparked Kansas City. Bobby Witt Jr. smacked a two-out single and Vinnie Pasquantino drove him in with a double. That was all the damage the Royals would do all night. Cole completed the seventh, then turned it over to Clay Holmes, who retired the side in the eighth, and new closer Luke Weaver, who followed suit in the ninth for the save. The Yankees bullpen did not give up an earned run all series.
New York will now await the winner of the other ALDS. The Cleveland Guardians avoided elimination with a 5-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Thursday afternoon, sending the series back to Cleveland for a decisive Game 5. Meanwhile, the possibility of the first Subway Series since 2000 remains very much alive. The New York Mets punched their ticket to the NLCS on Wednesday, and they will face the winner of Friday’s Game 5 between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres.
Photo Credit: © Denny Medley-Imagn Images
