'The job isn't done': Yankees keep their eyes on the World Series prize after ALCS Game 4 win

CLEVELAND – After collapsing in Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase posted a video on his Instagram showcasing his previous accolades with rings from his three All-Star appearances.

With this post, he signaled to the baseball world that the New York Yankees had shaken him. Clase was so unsettled that he felt the need to remind everyone of his past glories and the trophies of previous seasons. On Friday, however, he learned that none of that mattered.

Mariano Rivera, that's not him.

For the second straight game, the Yankees took advantage of Clase's problems. Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe opened the ninth inning with consecutive singles. Alex Verdugo made just enough contact on a softly hit grounder to bring home a run. Gleyber Torres then added an insurance run with an RBI single. By the time Clase's disastrous ninth inning ended, he had given up three hits, a walk and two runs.

The Yankees won 8-6 and secured a 3-1 lead over the Guardians, putting them one win away from their first World Series berth since 2009.

“That’s what the Yankees do really well,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of his team’s offense against Clase. “They have a great approach against their shooters, and when they make throws over the middle, they don’t miss.”

Juan Soto certainly didn't miss his pitch in the first inning. While Clase missed his chance for a save on Thursday, the Guardians still managed to win on a walk-off home run from David Fry. If there was any doubt that the drama of Game 3 was still there, it was dispelled after just two batters in Game 4.

Soto crushed a two-run home run off Cleveland's starting pitcher Gavin Williams, giving the Yankees an instant 2-0 lead. Before the game, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman remarked that Game 3 belonged “in the s——.”

His team quickly put that feeling to rest three minutes into the night. The Yankees did this better in 2024 than in previous years.

They could have given up during their mid-summer swoon and settled for a wild-card spot, but instead they kept the pressure on the Baltimore Orioles in the American League East. They could have given in to outside demands to replace failing veterans, particularly Verdugo, but manager Aaron Boone continued to believe in his players when no one from the outside did.

It was fitting that Verdugo's contact-oriented approach against Clase was just enough to get the ball going. Boone had confidently declared that Clay Holmes would perform big time for the Yankees in the postseason, and he did, despite being exhausted in every game that October, leading to back-to-back nights of tough outings. But the Yankees might not have gotten this far without Holmes' dominance.

The last two nights may not have been the most aesthetically pleasing games, but how many times have Yankees fans seen their team fail to find a way to win in similar situations? Game 3 starter Clarke Schmidt noticed one key difference this year: the camaraderie in the locker room. More than ever, he felt like everyone was pulling together. Torres echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that egos have been put aside. It's no coincidence that the Yankees lead all AL postseason teams in walks.

Game 4 perfectly encapsulated what this season has been for the Yankees. They needed their supporting cast to step up when it mattered most. Mark Leiter Jr., who was only on the ALCS roster as of Friday afternoon, delivered five crucial outs. Austin Wells, who had been in a deep slump since September, hit a solo home run and beat the revolving door of bullpen arms to secure the win. Luis Gil, who filled in for Gerrit Cole at the start of the season, managed to pitch four innings while allowing just two runs.

When they had to show their mettle, the Yankees' stars delivered their best. In addition to his two-run home run, Soto made a diving catch on a sharply hit ball from Fry in the fifth inning, eliminating potential bullpen pressure. Giancarlo Stanton, this generation's Mr. October, continued his postseason dominance by crushing a three-run home run off Guardians reliever Cade Smith to extend the Yankees' lead to 6-2. It was Stanton's 15th career postseason home run with the Yankees, tying him for fourth all-time with Babe Ruth and Aaron Judge. Boone only needed two words to describe Stanton's performance in October.

“Just something special,” Boone said.

The Yankees only came agonizingly close to the World Series in 2017, when they lost in Game 7 to the Houston Astros. Only Judge and Tommy Kahnle remain on this roster, but the majority of this roster carries the weight of previous disappointments. Aside from Rizzo and Soto, who have World Series rings with other organizations, every player knows the pain of a canceled season. This shared experience is why they approach what awaits them with relative calm.

In 2009, after the Los Angeles Lakers took a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals, a reporter asked Kobe Bryant why he didn't seem pleased. Fifteen years later, the Yankees repeated Bryant's famous three-word mantra in various ways in the clubhouse on Friday night: “The job ain't done.”

“It feels like nothing until we get it done,” Stanton said. “In my opinion we have done nothing. We’ll enjoy this for now, but we’ve got to get it done (Saturday) and see you next one.”

(Photo of Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge celebrating: Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)