Rodón's gem, HRs by Soto, Stanton spark Yankees to Game 1 win

Rodón's gem, HRs by Soto, Stanton spark Yankees to Game 1 win

Rodón's gem, HRs by Soto, Stanton spark Yankees to Game 1 win

NEW YORK — Juan Soto powered the Yankees with a key homer in the third inning, while Carlos Rodón secured his first postseason win as New York topped Cleveland 5-2 in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series on Monday night.


Cleveland’s pitchers struggled with control, tying a postseason record by throwing five wild pitches and walking nine batters overall. During a chaotic third inning, the Guardians gave up two runs on wild pitches, becoming just the second team to do so in a postseason inning.


Giancarlo Stanton contributed with his 13th career postseason home run, as the Yankees look to capture their record 41st AL pennant. New York has drawn 36 walks in just five playoff games this season, highlighting their discipline at the plate.


Rodón, who had struggled in the division series, bounced back by limiting Cleveland to just two singles until Brayan Rocchio hit a solo homer in the sixth inning. Rodón finished with nine strikeouts, allowing no walks and generating 25 misses on 53 swings, one of the highest marks since pitch tracking began in 2008. His movement was so sharp that catcher Austin Wells had to throw to first on three separate strikeout putouts.


Cleveland mounted some resistance late in the game, with Steven Kwan setting a team record by extending his postseason hitting streak to 11 games with an RBI single in the eighth inning. That brought the Guardians within three runs, but reliever Luke Weaver shut the door. He struck out Will Brennan with runners on in the eighth and followed up with three straight strikeouts in the ninth to earn his fourth save of the postseason.


Juan Soto’s third-inning home run off Alex Cobb gave New York a boost. Making his first playoff appearance in 11 years, Cobb struggled with control, walking the bases loaded before leaving with hip tightness and back spasms. Rookie reliever Joey Cantillo then threw two run-scoring wild pitches, contributing to Cleveland's costly errors. Cantillo's four wild pitches were one shy of the postseason record set by Rick Ankiel in 2000.


With the win, the Yankees take a 1-0 lead in the series, and history is on their side—teams that win Game 1 in a 2-3-2 format have advanced 66 out of 99 times. Game 2 is set for Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.