Gerrit Cole gem helps Yankees force Guardians to Game 5 in ALDS

CLEVELAND — The New York Yankees signed Gerrit Cole for games like this.

With the Yankees' 99-win season on the brink, Cole spun seven sparkling innings, propelling New York to a 4-2 win over the upstart Cleveland Guardians on Sunday as the Bombers knotted the American League Division Series at two games apiece.

Starting for the 16th time in his postseason career, Cole gave the Yankees exactly what they needed, not just in staving off elimination but also in saving further wear and tear on a bullpen worn down by injuries.

«He just kept making pitches all night long,» Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. «I thought he was just really in command of the moment, and it was obviously a huge start for us and for him. And to get us that deep in the game set us up real nice.»

Cole allowed the Cleveland leadoff hitter to reach base in each of the first four innings, but every time it appeared he might be teetering on the edge of trouble, he was able to dial it up and escape with little to no damage on the scoreboard. He managed to pull off that trick while also keeping his pitch count under control so that he could work deep.

«For most of the night, in order to pitch around somebody, and overall, just stuff was pretty good,» Cole said. «But we just executed a lot of good pitches and mixed well. Well enough to get away with a couple of mistakes.»

One of those mistakes came in the fourth inning, when Guardians designated hitter Josh Naylor led off with a ringing line-drive homer to right center. As he circled the bases, Naylor went into an exaggerated celebratory gesture, rocking his arms back and forth.

If the intent was to put Cole off his game, it didn't work — and couldn't have worked, because Cole said he was unaware of Naylor's