Cole takes command as Yankees force Game 5
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 antics until after the game.
“Whatever,” Cole said. “It’s cute. I didn’t see it in the moment, and it wouldn’t have bothered me in the moment. It just is kind of funny.”
Nothing could put Cole off his game in Game 4, as he held Cleveland to two runs over seven innings, struck out eight and, perhaps most important of all, threw 110 pitches.
The last of those pitches was a 98 mph fastball that struck out Guardians pinch hitter Will Brennan. As he stalked off the mound, Cole pumped his arms and screamed, the intensity on his face suggesting a person who knew he had done the job he was asked to do.
He had emptied the tank for his team.
“I do that every time I pitch,” Cole said.
The big blow for the Yankees’ offense was struck by emergent postseason hero Harrison Bader, who clubbed a two-run homer off Cleveland starter Cal Quantrill in the second to give New York an early 3-0 advantage.
Bader was acquired from the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline while he was on the injured list with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. By the time he was able to work his way back and begin his Yankees career, the season was dwindling, and he played in just 14 games for New York during the regular season, hitting .217 with no homers.
He’s making up for lost time. Bader’s homer on Sunday was his third of the postseason. Bader, who grew up a Yankees fan, joined quite a list. In the storied history of the franchise, the only other Yankees center fielders to homer at least three times in a single postseason were Bernie Williams (three times) and Mickey Mantle (twice).
“I’m grateful and fortunate for the opportunity,” Bader said. “And every day I wake up, it feels good to be a Yankee. I carry that in the field, carry that in my preparation.”
With Cole reducing the workload of the New York bullpen to six batters, Boone was able to use closer Clay Holmes for three outs in the eighth and lefty Wandy Peralta to finish it off in the ninth. Both hurlers faced the segment of the Guardians’ order with which they best matched up, just as Boone would have scripted it.
“It lined up pretty well for us tonight,” Boone said. “You start looking back, it is like, man, every little out that sets up somebody in a little bit better position moving forward is always big.”
While Holmes’ availability or lack thereof has become a hot topic in the series, before Sunday’s game, Boone said that he could pitch in back-to-back games if he responds well to the first outing. Finding out whether that happened will surely be a topic during Boone’s pregame news conference Monday at Yankee Stadium ahead of Game 5.
Meanwhile, Peralta set down Cleveland in order in the ninth on just seven pitches. While the outing made it three appearances in three days for the veteran lefty, Boone said the efficiency of the outing made it possible that Peralta could be available for the series finale.
And because of Cole’s outing, the rest of the New York bullpen will be fully rested. Jameson Taillon will draw the Game 5 assignment for New York, going against Cleveland righty Aaron Civale.
“There is definitely going to be some added adrenaline and stuff when you step foot in Yankee Stadium,” Taillon said. “I will keep my day as normal as possible.”
While the Yankees’ beleaguered bullpen appears to be in good shape for the finale, so too will be Cleveland’s bullpen after manager Terry Francona avoided using any of his big three relievers — Emmanuel Clase, James Karinchak and Trevor Stephan — during the two games in Cleveland.
In other words, it’s going to be all hands on deck as the $68 million Guardians try to knock off the $246 million Yankees.
“If you would have told me back in March we just signed up to play Game 5 in New York, to go to the ALCS,” Francona said, “I would have jogged to New York. I mean, this is … I’m excited.”
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After some uncertainty, the Tampa Bay Rays now support a $55.7 million city plan to repair hurricane-shredded Tropicana Field in time for the 2026 season opener, while the team prepares to play this year at the New York Yankees‘ spring training home in nearby Tampa.
Matt Silverman, the Rays’ co-president, said in an email to the St. Petersburg chief administrator that the team wants to “clear up” any questions about its support for the reconstruction. The city must pay for the work under its current contract with the Rays.
“While we had been open to considering a scenario in which the city bought out of its obligation to rebuild the ballpark, the Rays support and expect the city to rebuild Tropicana Field in accordance with the terms of the current use agreement,” Silverman wrote.
Hurricane Milton tore the Trop’s fabric roof to pieces when it came ashore Oct. 9, causing water and other damage to interior parts of the now-exposed ballpark. Work has been ongoing to ensure no further damage is caused by weather but there had been questions about the full repair in part because it would eventually be torn down to make way for a new, $1.3 billion ballpark under current plans to keep the Rays in St. Petersburg another 30 years.
Time is of the essence, Silverman said in his Dec. 30 email to the city, which released it Monday. Even a partial 2026 season at Tropicana Field “would present massive logistical and revenue challenges for the team,” he wrote.
“It is therefore critical that the rebuild start in earnest as soon as possible” with a realistic construction schedule to be ready by Opening Day 2026, he added.
The city had no immediate comment on the email. Its own architect presented the repair proposal initially Dec. 12 but it has not yet been fully approved. Members of the city council have balked at the cost, especially with residents and businesses still recovering from Milton and Hurricane Helene before that.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has said that insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency funds should cover the bulk of the cost. Silverman said Major League Baseball has told the team it will hire its own adviser to monitor the repair work and timeline.
The planned new downtown Rays ballpark is part of a $6.5 billion project that will include affordable housing, a Black history museum, retail and office space, restaurants and bars. The project is known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which was once a thriving Black community displaced by the construction of the ballpark and an interstate highway.
The Rays are preparing to play 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees’ 11,000-seat spring training location in Tampa. Once Tropicana Field is repaired, Silverman acknowledged the Rays are obligated to play there three more seasons under the contract with St. Petersburg.
“We look forward to a grand reopening,” Silverman said.
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Andrea Adelson, ESPN Senior Writer
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has fired defensive coordinator Wes Goodwin, he announced Monday.
The Tigers’ defense — particularly against the run — took a significant step back in the third season under Goodwin. Clemson allowed an average of 160.6 rushing yards per game — its worst performance since 2011. That includes 292 yards rushing allowed in a 38-24 loss to Texas in a College Football Playoff first-round game last month.
Goodwin was promoted from within in 2022 to replace Brent Venables, who left to become head coach at Oklahoma. In 2021, the last season under Venables, Clemson ranked No. 7 in the country in rush defense (96.3 yards per game) and No. 8 in total defense (310.2 yards per game).
Swinney said he met with Goodwin on Sunday night to inform him of the decision.
“Wes has been a part of our program for 13 of the past 16 years, and he played an instrumental part in all of our success,” Swinney said in a statement. “I love Wes and his family and wish him all the best as he continues his journey. I know he has a bright future ahead.”
Swinney said he hopes to have a new defensive coordinator in place by the end of the month “or sooner.”
“Our staff has been hard at work on our roster, and we look forward to solidifying our defensive coordinator position to help lead this extremely talented group as we pursue our goals for 2025,” Swinney said.
Clemson returns the bulk of its playoff team — including defensive starters T.J. Parker, Peter Woods, Wade Woodaz and Avieon Terrell. The offense looks ready to make another major leap with Cade Klubnik and receivers Bryant Wesco, Antonio Williams and T.J. Moore all returning — making it an absolute priority to get the defense fixed.
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