Carlos Rodon will get the ball for Game 1 of the ALCS according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, as the Yankees have now set their rotation up for the first set of this series. Gerrit Cole was announced as the Game 2 starter yesterday by manager Aaron Boone, so their two highest-paid arms will go for the first two games of this crucial series. It’s the Yankees’ seventh trip to the ALCS since 2010, but they hold the dubious record of having six-straight series losses in that format, the only team to do so since the inception of that round.
For Cleveland, they have lost all three of their playoff series matchups with the Yankees since 2017, and this is their first ALCS berth since they won the AL Pennant back in 2016.
Carlos Rodon Slated to Pitch Game 1 For the Yankees in the ALCS
Carlos Rodon came out of the gates firing in Game 2 of the ALDS against the Kansas City Royals when he struck out the side, but he ran into trouble in the fourth inning and crumbled from there. Still, his stuff looked sharp and the Yankees hope to get a start that more closely resembles what they saw after the All-Star Break from their lone left-handed starter.
The Cleveland Guardians are one of the best teams in baseball against left-handed pitching, however, so this will prove to be a tough task for Rodon. In games started by a LHP, the Guardians were a league-best 29-11, with their active roster having a combined 123 wRC+ and .450 SLG% against southpaws this season.
Jose Ramirez, their big star bat, has specifically given lefties trouble as he has the third-highest wRC+ against them this season (196).
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The second-half treated Carlos Rodon more favorably than the first-half, as he posted a 2.91 ERA and struck out 30% of batters faced, but now the left-hander will have to try and deliver a big start to set the tone for the series. Cleveland is coming off of a huge win over the Tigers in Game 5 of the ALDS, and their offense was able to get to Tarik Skubal, who will definitely win the 2024 AL Cy Young Award.
Game 1 is set to begin at 7:38 PM EST at Yankee Stadium as the Yankees and Guardians square off for the first time in the ALCS since 1998, where the Bronx Bombers won in six games and went on to win the World Series.