Gerrit Cole's gem, long ball propels Yankees to ALDS Game 1 win over Guardians

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The New York Yankees are heavy favorites to take down the Cleveland Guardians in the ALDS, and they showed exactly why.

The Yanks took home Game 1 of the series, 4-1.

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Gerrit Cole #45 of the New York Yankees celebrates closing out the top of the sixth inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game one of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 11, 2022 in New York, New York. (Elsa/Getty Images)

The Guardians got on the board first, as Steven Kwan hit a solo home run in the third inning off Gerrit Cole, who had given up the second-most homers in all of baseball this year. Cleveland also loaded the bases that inning with one out, ready for a huge blow. But Cole induced fielder’s choice at home and a strikeout to get out of the jam, and he coasted from there. He finished his night throwing 6.1 innings with eight strikeouts, four hits and one walk, allowing just the one run.

Harrison Bader, a Yankees’ trade deadline acquisition, tied the game in the bottom of the third with a solo shot of his own. In the fifth, Josh Donaldson thought he had given the Yanks a 2-1 lead, so he went into a home run trot. However, the ball hit the top of the short porch, and a confused Donaldson was tagged out at first base. The Yanks quickly made up for it though – the next batter in Isiah Kiner-Falefa singled and reached third on an error by right fielder Oscar Gonzalez, and Jose Trevino’s sac fly gave the Yanks a lead.

In the sixth inning, Cal Quantrill walked leadoff hitter Aaron Judge, but the damage was done instead by Anthony Rizzo, who hit a two-run shot into the second deck to give