The New York Yankees have returned to the American League Championship Series on the back of a superb outing from ace Gerrit Cole.
The right hander allowed only one run over seven innings as the Yankees beat Kansas City 3-1 on Friday (AEDT) and clinch their AL Division Series three games to one.
New York will now host game one of the ALCS on Tuesday (AEDT) against either Cleveland or Detroit.
The Guardians beat the Tigers 5-4 to force the deciding fifth game in their ALDS.
While the Yankees are the most successful team in Major League Baseball, they have not won an ALCS since 2009, on the way to their most recent World Series title.
They have lost five ALCS since, most recently two years ago.
Cole, the six-time All-Star, scattered six hits and struck out four before handing the ball to the New York bullpen, which dominated a tense series against the Royals.
Clay Holmes tossed a perfect eighth inning and Luke Weaver breezed through the ninth, extending the scoreless streak by Yankees relievers to 15 2/3 innings this post-season.
Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres and game-three hero Giancarlo Stanton drove in runs for the Yankees.
Starting pitcher Michael Wacha failed to make it through five innings for Kansas City, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk. He didn’t have much help from an offence that managed just five runs over the final three games of the series.
Tensions that had simmered through the series, after Yankees third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. called the Royals’ game-two win “lucky”, finally boiled over in the sixth.
New York’s Anthony Volpe slapped a hard tag on Maikel Garcia at second base to complete a double play, and the Royals third baseman took umbrage with it. Players spilled out of both dugouts before order was restored.
The near-fracas nearly ignited Kansas City, too, as they put two runners on base before Cole closed out the inning.
Meanwhile, pinch-hitter David Fry had a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning, then bunted home an insurance run in the ninth in Detroit to help the Guardians force the series decider.
“David Fry is one of the best baseball players in this league,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said.
Cleveland ended a streak of 11 losses in post-season elimination games dating to game six of the 1997 World Series after Emmanuel Clase retired five Tigers for his third multi-inning save of the year.
Star Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal will start game five on Sunday (AEDT) in Cleveland.
Los Angeles will host San Diego on Saturday (AEDT) in the deciding game of their division series, with the winner to face the New York Mets in the National League Championship Series.
The winners of the ALCS and NLCS meet in the World Series.
With AP.
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