NEW YORK – Just when it looked as if Tuesday night’s third inning might go sideways on Gerrit Cole, the Yankees’ ace found a way to reset and carry on.
Cole pitched into the seventh inning and the Yankees’ bullpen – which has been a questionable lot heading into postseason – wrapped up a 4-1 victory against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium.
After a five-day layoff, the Yanks used a solo homer by Harrison Bader, a sacrifice fly by Jose Trevino and a two-run shot by Anthony Rizzo to claim Game 1 of the best-of-five AL Division Series.
And now, both clubs might be in for another long wait between games.
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After Wednesday’s oddly scheduled off day, Thursday’s Game 2 is threatened by a rainy forecast in New York.
The potential looms for a Game 2 to be forced to Friday afternoon at the Stadium, wiping out the travel day, with Games 3 and 4 (if necessary) still on for Saturday and Sunday at Cleveland.