Game 1 of the American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees only reinforced the major storyline heading into the series: If the underdog Guardians are to pull off the upset, they're going to need their history-making bullpen to be pretty much perfect.
On a cool night at Yankee Stadium, it wasn't.
Cleveland starter Alex Cobb, who entered the game having thrown 41 pitches and three innings since Sept. 1, ran into trouble in the bottom of the third inning. He served up a towering home run to Juan Soto and eventually walked the bases loaded with two outs as he began suffering through tightness in his hip and back spasms.
To escape the jam, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt didn't turn to any of his five relievers who had an ERA under 2.00 in the regular season, but rather rookie Joey Cantillo, who has worked primarily as a starting pitcher. Cantillo uncorked two run-scoring wild pitches. In the fourth inning, a walk and two more wild pitches led to another run. It was too much to ask a Cleveland lineup to rally from a 4-0 deficit and the Yankees recorded a 5-2 victory.
No team relies on its bullpen for success as much as the 2024 Guardians. They won 92 regular-season games on the strength of perhaps the greatest single-season bullpen of all time, and if they're going to reach the World Series and end the franchise's 76-year championship drought, it will likely be on the backs of the top relievers -- who will now be well rested after none of them pitched in the ALCS opener.
It's early in the series. There is time for Vogt to make a quick adjustment and use his high-leverage relievers in any situation. Ahead of Game 2 of the ALCS, let's dive into what makes the Guardians' pen one of the best ever, who those relievers compare to and whether the bullpen can keep rolling all the way to a title.