Oct 18, 2022; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge (right) and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (left) celebrate in the clubhouse after their win against the Cleveland Guardians in game five of the ALDS for the 2022 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
MLBBy Matt Clapp on

The New York Yankees are going to the ALCS after knocking off the Cleveland Guardians 5-1 in Game 5 of the ALDS on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium (the game was moved from Monday to Tuesday due to rain, with the decision made very late on Monday night).

The Yankees didn’t take long to get all of the runs they would need in the game, with Giancarlo Stanton hitting a three-run homer to right field in the bottom of the first inning.

After hitting an American League record 62 homers in the regular season, Aaron Judge hit his first dinger of the postseason with this solo blast in the bottom of the second inning (Yankees fans weren’t booing him this time):

Judge now has four homers in winner-takes-all games, the most in MLB history.

New York got five innings of one-run ball from funky southpaw Nestor Cortes on three days’ rest, and the bullpen followed with five scoreless innings.

The Yankees will face the Houston Astros in the ALCS, and that could be the best series of the entire postseason. The winner of the ALCS will be the clear favorite in the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies or San Diego Padres.

Here’s a peek at how the baseball world is reacting to the Yankees advancing to the ALCS:

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About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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