Juan Soto, Giancarlo Stanton HRs lift Yankees, 5-2, over Rangers in ALCS opener

Juan Soto hit a home run in the third inning for New York, Carlos Rodón got his first win of the postseason and the Yankees took advantage of Cleveland with a 5-2 victory Monday night in Game 1 of the AL Championship Series.

Cleveland became the second team to throw run-scoring wild pitches in a postseason inning and tied the postseason record with five overall. Guardians pitchers went six with nine batters and 9th overall.

Giancarlo Stanton added his 13th homer of the season for the Yankees, who are seeking a record 41st pennant. New York batters have walked 36 times in five postseason games.

Rodón bounced back from the Yankees’ only loss in the Division Series, limiting the Rangers to just a single before Bryan Rocchio’s sixth homer.

Steven Kwan pulled the Guardians within three runs as he extended his postseason hitting streak to a team-high 11 games with an RBI single in the eighth off Clay Holmes.

Luke Weaver came in with runners on the corners. He struck out pinch-hitter Will Brennan and retired José Ramírez on a groundout, then followed up a leadoff walk in the ninth with his fourth straight save of the season.

Game 2 is at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday night. Entering this year, teams taking the first series in a 2-3-2 format have won 66 of 99 times.

In front of a sellout crowd of 47,264 that included pop star Taylor Swift, Soto hit his first postseason homer in New York when he drove a high slide off Alex Cobb into the Yankees’ bullpen in right-center.

Making his first playoff appearance in 11 years, Cobb walked the bases loaded in the third and rookie shortstop Joey Cantillo threw a pair of run-scoring wild pitches.

Cantillo had four total wild pitches, one shy of the postseason game record set by Rick Ankiel of St. Louis. Louis in the opening game of the 2000 NL Division Series against Atlanta. The only time a team scored two runs on wild pitches in a postseason inning was Minnesota against Oakland in the 2002 AL Division Series.

Rodón struck out nine and walked 25 in 53 innings, tied for the fourth-most in a postseason game since field tracking began in 2008. puouts strikes.

Cobb went 0-2 in the playoffs, making his fifth start of an injury-limited season. He threw 36 of 65 pitches with strikes, got one swing and one miss, and allowed three runs, five hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings.

COACH’S ROOM

Yankees: LHP Nestor Cortes (flexor strain in pitching elbow) will throw a second bullpen session on Wednesday and is likely in the World Series, if the Yankees advance.

UP NEXT

Yankees RHP Gerrit Cole will make his third start of the season after beating Kansas City in the Division Series clincher. He is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA this postseason. RHP Tanner Bibee starts for the Rangers. He had a 2.08 ERA without a decision in a Division Series start against Detroit. Bibee pitched once at Yankee Stadium, his second major league outing in May 2023. He allowed two runs over 5 1/3 innings without a decision, giving up a homer to Anthony Volpe over the right field balcony. .

It is reported by the Associated Press.

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