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Three matchups in the division series round of the 2022 MLB playoffs ended Saturday, but one game remains on Sunday — and one of baseball’s most historic franchises is playing for its season.

The New York Yankees have a must-win American League Division Series Game 4 against the Cleveland Guardians, who won on a walk-off Saturday in the first game at Progressive Field. Will New York extend its season by forcing a Monday showdown in the Bronx, or will Cleveland move on to face the Houston Astros in the American League Championship Series?

We’ve got you covered for every intense moment with lineups, starting pitchers, what to watch for and predictions before the game and then live updates and takeaways once the action begins.

More: Everything you need to know about the 2022 MLB playoffs | Greatest postseason … ever? | Ace rankings (ESPN+)| Bracket, results and more


New York Yankees at Cleveland Guardians

Guardians lead series 2-1

Bader goes deep

Rizzo, Yankees strike first

Yankees starter: Gerrit Cole (13-8, 3.50 ERA, 257 K)

Guardians starter: Cal Quantrill (15-5, 3.38 ERA, 128 K)

Starting lineups:

YANKEES

1. Gleyber Torres (R) 2B
2. Aaron Judge (R) RF
3. Anthony Rizzo (L) 1B
4. Giancarlo Stanton (R) DH
5. Josh Donaldson (R) 3B
6. Oswaldo Cabrera (S) SS
7. Harrison Bader (R) CF
8. Jose Trevino (R) C
9. Aaron Hicks (S) LF

GUARDIANS

1. Steven Kwan (L) LF
2. Amed Rosario (R) SS
3. Jose Ramirez (S) 3B
4. Josh Naylor (L) DH
5. Oscar Gonzalez (R) RF
6. Andres Gimenez (L) 2B
7. Gabriel Arias (R) 1B
8. Austin Hedges (R) C
9. Myles Straw (R) CF

What to watch for: Terry Francona said the Guardians’ hope throughout Game 3 was to put the Yankees in a position where they had to use their primary relievers while also being able to stay away from using their own key firemen such as Emmanuel Clase, James Karinchak and Trevor Stephan. Mission accomplished. Now the Guardians get an elimination at home with a rested bullpen in front of a crowd that promises to be even more raucous than it was Saturday, and it was awfully raucous Saturday. For New York, the main thing that can make the spotlight on Aaron Boone dim just a little is for Gerrit Cole to come out and dominate deep into Game 4. — Bradford Doolittle

Predictions:

Joon Lee: Yankees 5, Guardians 2. Cole comes through for the Yankees on the mound as New York forces a decisive Game 5 back in the Bronx.

Alden Gonzalez: Yankees 4, Guardians 1. Cole has pitched very well against the Guardians this season, giving up only three runs in 19 innings through three starts, including Game 1 of this series. That will continue with the Yankees’ season on the line in Game 4.

Bradford Doolittle: Guardians 3, Yankees 1. The Yankees are Gulliver and the Guardians are the Lilliputians — and if I remember the story right, the Lilliputians did a pretty good job of keeping Gulliver under wraps. Also, the Guardians’ bullpen is rested and ready to close this thing out.

Jeff Passan: Yankees 3, Guardians 2. Cal Quantrill never has lost a game at Progressive Field, but the Yankees, behind another great pitching performance from Gerrit Cole, claw out a win and force a decisive Game 5 on Monday at Yankee Stadium.

David Schoenfield: Guardians 3, Yankees 1. No, this series doesn’t get back to the Bronx as Terry Francona has a quicker hook this game with Quantrill and the Cleveland bullpen shuts down the Yankees over the final four innings.

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

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Sale, Crochet named comeback players of year

LAS VEGAS — Left-handers Chris Sale of the Atlanta Braves and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox won Major League Baseball’s Comeback Player of the Year awards on Thursday.

Cleveland right-hander Emmanuel Clase won his second AL Reliever of the Year award and St. Louis righty Ryan Helsley won the NL honor.

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani joined David Ortiz as the only players to win four straight Outstanding Designated Hitter awards. Ohtani and the New York YankeesAaron Judge won Hank Aaron Awards as the outstanding offensive performers in their leagues.

Major League Baseball made the announcements at its All-MLB Awards Show.

Sale, 35, was 18-3 with a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts in 177⅔ innings for the NL’s first pitching triple crown since the Dodgers’ Clayton Kershaw in 2011. He earned his eighth All-Star selection and first since 2018.

Sale helped Boston to the 2018 World Series title but made just 56 starts from 2020-23, going 17-18 with a 4.86 ERA, 400 strikeouts and 79 walks over 298⅓ innings. He was acquired by Boston from the White Sox in December 2016 and made nine trips to the injured list with the Red Sox, mostly with shoulder and elbow ailments. He had Tommy John surgery on March 30, 2020, and returned to a big league mound on Aug. 14, 2021.

Sale fractured a rib while pitching in batting practice in February 2022 during the management lockout. On July 17, in his second start back, he broke his left pinkie finger when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of the Yankees’ Aaron Hicks. Sale broke his right wrist while riding a bicycle en route to lunch on Aug. 6, ending his season.

Crochet, 25, was 6-12 with a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts for a White Sox team that set a post-1900 record of 121 losses, becoming a first-time All-Star. He struck out 209 and walked 33 in 146 innings.

He had Tommy John surgery on April 5, 2022, and returned to the major leagues on May 18, 2023. Crochet had a 3.55 ERA in 13 relief appearances in 2023, and then joined the rotation this year.

Sale and Crochet were chosen in voting by MLB.com beat writers.

Clase and Helsley were unanimous picks by a panel that included Hall of Famers Trevor Hoffman, Mariano Rivera, Dennis Eckersley and Rollie Fingers, along with John Franco and Billy Wagner. The AL award is named after Rivera and the NL honor after Hoffman.

A three-time All-Star, Clase was 4-2 with a 0.61 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 74⅓ innings, holding batters to a .154 average. The 26-year-old converted 47 of 50 save chances, including his last 47.

Voting was based on the regular season. Clase was 0-2 with a 9.00 ERA in the playoffs, allowing three home runs, one more than his regular-season total.

Helsley, a two-time All-Star, was 7-4 with a 2.04 ERA and 49 saves in 53 chances. He struck out 79 and walked 23 in 66⅓ innings.

Ohtani became the first player with 50 or more homers and 50 or more stolen bases in a season. A two-way star limited to hitting following elbow surgery, Ohtani batted .310 and led the NL with 54 homers and 130 RBIs while stealing 59 bases.

Ortiz won the DH award five years in a row from 2003-07.

The DH award, named after Edgar Martinez, is picked in voting by team beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments. MLB.com writers determined the finalists for the Aaron awards, and a fan vote was combined with picks from a panel of Hall of Famers and former winners to determine the selections.

Judge led the major leagues with 58 homers and 144 RBIs while hitting .322.

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

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QB Castellanos exits after losing BC starting job

Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who lost his starting job earlier this week, will not be returning to the team, he announced Thursday night.

Castellanos, who started 12 games last season and retained the top job under new coach Bill O’Brien, wrote on X that “unfortunately, all good things come to an end, even though it’s sooner than I would like.” He did not mention the transfer portal in his departing message and has not officially entered it. The junior from Waycross, Georgia, started his career at UCF and appeared in five games in 2022.

O’Brien said Tuesday that Grayson James, who replaced Castellanos in last week’s win against Syracuse, will start Saturday when Boston College visits No. 14 SMU. Castellanos “wasn’t real thrilled” with the decision, O’Brien said, adding that the quarterback decided to step away from the team for several days.

Castellanos had 2,248 passing yards and 1,113 rushing yards last season under coach Jeff Hafley, passing for 15 touchdowns and adding 13 on the ground. He had 18 touchdown passes and only five interceptions this season, but his accuracy dipped in recent weeks, and he completed only 2 of 7 passes against Syracuse before being replaced.

In his statement, Castellanos thanked both coaching staffs he played for at Boston College and wrote that he had “some of the best experiences of my life in the Eagles Nest and I will truly cherish these memories forever.”

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Gators’ Lagway ‘ready to play,’ will start vs. LSU

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Gators' Lagway 'ready to play,' will start vs. LSU

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida quarterback DJ Lagway is “ready to play,” coach Billy Napier said Thursday on his weekly radio show.

Napier removed Lagway from the team’s injury report and penciled him in to start against No. 21 LSU in the Swamp on Saturday.

Lagway practiced every day this week while progressing from a strained left hamstring. The highly touted freshman was carted off the field against Georgia on Nov. 2. Tests revealed a “less significant” injury than initially feared, and now he’s back in time to face the Tigers.

The Gators (4-5, 2-4 Southeastern Conference) need him. They have to win two of their final three regular-season games to become bowl eligible.

LSU (6-3, 3-2) has struggled mightily against dual-threat QBs, including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who ran for 185 yards and four touchdowns last week.

Lagway returns after walk-on and Yale transfer Aidan Warner started in his place against Texas. Warner threw two interceptions and was 12-of-25 passing for 132 yards in a 49-17 loss.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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