The Weekly Rundown: 10/13/24 - 10/19/24
The Yankees are on to the World Series, Dodgers and Mets still battling, and more.
Good morning and happy Sunday!
I think I’m ready to say this has been the most exciting postseason in recent years. In the last week alone we’ve seen several clutch moments and at least a couple of “Game of the Year” candidates.
The Yankees defeated the Guardians to advance to the World Series, where they’ll take on either the Mets or Dodgers. The NLCS could be settled as early tonight.
Here’s a game-by-game recap of how both series went over the last week, plus more MLB news and rumors to keep you up to date. Subscribe above to get these rundowns every Sunday.
American League Championship Series
Guardians vs. Yankees - Game 1
The Yankees rallied for three runs in the third inning of Game 1 at Yankee Stadium. Juan Soto hit his first postseason homer as a Yankee, then Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton scored on wild pitches.
Judge added a sac fly in the fourth to make it 4-0 Yankees. Brayan Rocchio homered to put the Guardians on the board in the fifth, but Giancarlo Stanton answered in the sixth with a solo shot to make it 5-1.
Steven Kwan’s eighth-inning RBI single was a moot point as the Yankees took Game 1, 5-2.
Yankees lead series, 1-0
Game 2
The Yankees picked up where they left off with three quick runs in Game 2. Gleyber Torres scored on an error in the first inning, then Alex Verdugo’s RBI double and Aaron Judge’s sac fly made it 3-0 Yankees in the second.
The Guardians tacked on two runs in the fifth, but they still had no answers for the Yankees lineup. Anthony Rizzo notched an RBI double in the sixth, and Aaron Judge belted a two-run shot in the seventh for his first homer of the postseason.
The Yankees went on to take Game 2, 6-3.
Yankees lead series, 2-0
Game 3
Mark this one down as an instant classic.
Again, the Yankees struck first as Jose Trevino knocked an RBI single in the second inning, but Cleveland responded in the third with a two-run Kyle Manzardo blast.
It remained 2-1 Guardians until the sixth when Andres Gimenez added another run with an RBI single. In the eighth, however, disaster struck for Cleveland.
Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton pulled off the impossible and hit back-to-back homers off Guardians star closer Emmanuel Clase, putting the Yankees ahead 4-3.
Gleyber Torres’ ninth-inning sac fly to make it 5-3 Yankees appeared to be the final blow that would give New York a 3-0 series lead. Little did they know that Christmas would come early this year.
Jhonkesny Noel, AKA “Big Christmas,” tied it in the bottom of the ninth with a majestic two-run bomb.
The game went into extra innings, when David Fry sealed a gutsy Guardians win with a walk-off two-run shot in the 10th.
Yankees lead series, 2-1
Game 4
Juan Soto got the Yankees started with a two-run shot in the first inning. Jose Ramirez’s sac fly put the Guardians on the board in the bottom of the frame to make it 2-1, but Austin Wells extended the Yankees lead to 3-1 with a solo homer in the third.
Josh Naylor cut the deficit back to one with an RBI single in the third. But in the sixth, Giancarlo Stanton stayed hot with a three-run shot to give the Yankees a commanding 6-2 lead.
Cleveland rallied late to get it tied back up at 6. Jose Ramirez hit an RBI double and Josh Naylor added a two-run double in the seventh, then David Fry tied it in the eighth thanks to a Yankees defensive miscue.
The Guardians couldn’t keep it together in the ninth, however. Jon Berti scored on an error and Gleyber Torres added an RBI single off Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase to give the Yankees an 8-6 win that put the Guardians on the brink of elimination.
Yankees lead series, 3-1
Game 5
The Guardians tallied the first two runs of the game with a Bo Naylor RBI double in the second and a Steven Kwan RBI single in the fifth. Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee kept the Yankees off the board until the sixth, when Giancarlo Stanton tied it at 2 with a two-run bomb.
It remained 2-2 until the top of the 10th. Juan Soto, who’s going to make close to a billion dollars this winter, had an epic at-bat against Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis with two men on base. It ended with Soto hitting a three-run bomb that would send the Yankees to their first World Series since 2009.
Yankees win series, 4-1
ALCS MVP: Giancarlo Stanton
National League Championship Series
Mets vs. Dodgers - Game 1
It was all L.A. in Game 1 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium.
The Dodgers jumped all over Mets starter Kodai Senga early. Max Muncy put them on the board with a first-inning two-run single and Shohei Ohtani drove in a run with a single of his own in the second.
Senga lasted only 1.1 innings and the Mets bullpen didn’t fare much better. In the fourth, L.A. tacked on three more runs on RBI singles from Tommy Edman, Ohtani, and Freddie Freeman.
Mookie Betts put the finishing touches on the Dodgers’ shutout with a three-run double in the eighth. Jack Flaherty pitched a gem (7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 6 K, 2 BB) to help L.A. tie a postseason record with 33 consecutive scoreless innings. Final score: 9-0 Dodgers.
Dodgers lead series, 1-0
Game 2
Francisco Lindor snapped the Dodgers’ scoreless streak with a leadoff homer in Game 2.
New York broke the game open with a Tyrone Taylor RBI double and a Mark Vientos grand slam in the second, making it 6-0 Mets.
The Dodgers bats woke up in the middle innings as Max Muncy hit a solo shot in the fifth and Tommy Edman added a two-run single in the sixth. It was too little, too late. Starling Marte tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single in the ninth to finish off a 7-3 Mets victory.
Series tied, 1-1
Game 3
The series shifted back to Citi Field for Game 3 but it didn’t go well for the home team.
In the second inning, Will Smith opened the scoring with an RBI infield single and Tommy Edman followed with a sacrifice fly.
After that, the bats on both sides stayed quiet until the sixth, when Kiké Hernandez crushed his 15th career postseason homer - a two-run shot to make it 4-0 L.A.
Shohei Ohtani’s three-run blast in the eighth made it 7-0.
Max Muncy put the exclamation point on the Dodgers’ emphatic win with a solo homer in the ninth. Final score: 8-0 Dodgers.
Dodgers lead series, 2-1
Game 4
Shohei Ohtani wasted no time in Game 4 as he helped L.A. pick up where it left off with a leadoff homer.
Mets slugger Mark Vientos answered with a solo shot in the bottom of the frame.
The Dodgers pulled back ahead with a Tommy Edman RBI double and a Kiké Hernandez RBI single in the third, making it 3-1. Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo drove in a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-2, but then it was the Mookie Betts Show.
Betts hit a two-run double in the fourth and a two-run homer in the sixth to extend L.A.’s lead to 7-2.
Tommy Edman’s two-run double in the ninth and Will Smith’s RBI single finished off a 10-2 Dodgers win.
Dodgers lead series, 3-1
Game 5
The Dodgers had a chance to close out the series but their starter Jack Flaherty wasn’t up to the task on Friday. The right-hander allowed eight runs on eight hits and four walks in only three innings pitched.
Pete Alonso got the Mets started with a three-run shot in the first inning.
The Mets rallied for five more runs in the third inning. Starling Marte hit a two-run double, Francisco Alvarez recorded an RBI single, Francisco Lindor hit an RBI triple, and Brandon Nimmo drove him in with an RBI single.
Home runs from Andy Pages and Mookie Betts got the Dodgers back into it (10-6), but the Mets wound up winning 12-6 to stay alive with the series heading back to Dodger Stadium for Game 6.
Dodgers lead series, 3-2
Rapid Fire
The Phillies extended manager Rob Thomson through 2026.
Red Sox DH Masataka Yoshida underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his right shoulder. The team hopes to have him back by Opening Day.
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is open to selling the club, according to The Athletic.
The Rumor Mill
Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris said the team will prioritize right-handed hitting and pitching (both starting and relief) this offseason.
The Rockies plan to cut payroll heading into 2025, per Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post. According to Saunders, the team is expected to explore potential trades involving second baseman Brendan Rodgers, lefty starter Austin Gomber, and righty starter Cal Quantrill.