GAME 3
Today in Cleveland, the Guardians will host the New York Yankees in Game 3 of the 2024 American League Championship Series…The Yankees lead the series 2-0, after taking Game 1 on Monday by a 5-2 score and Game 2 on Tuesday by a 6-3 score.
- New York is looking to take a 3-0 lead in the series…Teams to take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven postseason series have gone on to win the series 39 of 40 times(97.5%), including 15 of 16 times in the LCS (93.8%).
- The only team to overcome an 0-3 deficit to win a seven-game series was the 2004 Red Sox, who won Games 4-7 of the ALCS against the Yankees, and would ultimately go on to win their first World Series title since 1918.
- Cleveland is looking to cut the New York series lead to 2-1…Teams that win Game 3 after falling behind 2-0 in a seven-game Postseason series have gone on to win the series 14 of 51 times (27.5%), including four of 21 times (19%) in an LCS.
- The only A.L. team to win a seven-game ALCS after going down 0-2 and winning Game 3 was the 1985 Royals (vs. Toronto).
2024 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
- New York is playing in their 19th ALCS, which is the most League Championship Series appearances of any Major League team…This is the Yankees 14th ALCS in the best-of-seven format and fourth in the last eight years… Overall, the Yankees have won 11 of their previous 18 ALCS appearances, including seven of 13 in the best-of-seven format… NYY won 10 of first 11 ALCS appearances, but have lost six of last seven.
- Cleveland is competing in their sixth ALCS and first since 2016…All six ALCS appearances have come in the best-of-seven era… Cleveland has won three of their previous five ALCS appearances, with wins coming in 1995, 1997 & 2016 and losses in 1998 and 2007.
- This series is a rematch of the 1998 ALCS, which was won by the Yankees in six games…New York won Games 4-6 in that series after Cleveland took two of the first three contests
ABOUT GAME 2
On Tuesday night, the Yankees won Game 2 of the 2024 ALCS by a 6-3 score at Yankee Stadium… Clay Holmes earned his second win of the 2024 Postseason in relief after retiring two of his three batters faced…Tanner Bibee took the loss after allowing three runs (two earned) in 1.1 IP (his shortest outing of the year (regular season or Postseason.
- Aaron Judge drove in three runs for New York with a two-run homer and a sacrifice fly…Alex Verdugo added an RBI double and the Yankees scored two runs on a pair of Cleveland errors.
- José Ramírez hit a solo HR for Cleveland and the Guardians also added runs on a Josh Taylor sac fly and Will Brennan fielder’s choice.
TODAY’S STARTING PITCHERS
The Game 3 starting pitching match-up features, Cleveland’s Matthew Boyd and New York’s Clarke Schmidt.
- Boyd has worked 6.2 scoreless innings across his two Postseason starts for the Guardians this year with 10 strikeouts…The only other pitcher in Cleveland history to have back-to-back scoreless Postseason starts was Corey Kluber in 2016.
- Between his 10 combined Major League starts this year in the regular season and Postseason, he has allowed two-or-fewer earned runs in nine of 10 starts and one-or-fewer in seven of those starts.
- Schmidt is making his second start of the 2024 Postseason…He took a no-decision in Game 2 of the ALDS at Kansas City (4.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO).
- Schmidt posted a 2.85 ERA (85.1 IP – 27 ER) across 16 regular season starts in 2024.
- Tonight will be his fifth career Postseason appearance and third against the Guardians… In his last playoff outing vs. Cleveland, he allowed a walk-off hit to Oscar González in the bottom of the 9th in Game 3 of the 2022 ALDS at Progressive Field.
STRENGTH VS. STRENGTH
During the 2024 regular season, the Guardians 50-30 home record was the best in the American League…The Yankees 50-31 road record was the best in the Majors.
THE MANAGERS
The 2024 ALCS features Guardians rookie manager Stephen Vogt facing off against New York’s Aaron Boone, the second-longest tenured skipper in the American League (behind Tampa Bay’s Kevin Cash).
- Aaron Boone has led his team to the Postseason in six of his seven seasons as Yankees Manager, including three ALCS appearances (2019, 2022 & 2024)
- Boone holds a 19-18 all-time record in Postseason games as a manager; the 19 Postseason wins are sixth-most among active managers and one shy of matching Rob Thomson for fifth-most.
- With his next win, he would become the fifth Yankees manager with at least 20 career Postseason wins, joining Joe Torre (76), Casey Stengel (37), Joe McCarthey (29) and Joe Girardi (28).
- Stephen Vogt has led the Guardians to the ALCS, becoming the first manager in franchise history to win a playoff series in his first season as a manager.
- Vogt is the 16th rookie manager to reach a League Championship Series and seventh in the A.L., joining: Billy Martin (1969 MIN), Jim Frey (1980 KC), Joe M. Morgan (1988 BOS), Cito Gaston (1989 TOR), Ron Gardenhire (2002 MIN) and Alex Cora (2018 BOS). (credit: ELIAS)
- Stephen Vogt and Mets manager Carlos Mendoza are the first pair of rookie managers to reach the LCS in the same season.
UMPIRES
22-year Major League Umpire Dan Iassogna is the Crew Chief of the seven-man crew in the 2024 ALCS, which includes regular season crew chief Alan Porter, as well as Vic Carapazza, Mike Estabrook, Gabe Morales, Chris Segal and Jansen Visconti.
- Estabrook, Morales, Segal and Visconti are making their LCS on-field debuts in this series. All seven umpires could receive one plate assignment during the series if it goes seven games…Each umpire will be in reserve during the game prior to their schedule plate duties.
- Major League Umpires Scott Barry, Alfonso Márquez and Ben May are the Replay Officials for this series.
