NEW YORK -- The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians will finally conclude their ALDS matchup Tuesday afternoon with Game 5 at Yankee Stadium. The game was rained out Monday night and pushed to Tuesday. Loser goes home, winner faces the Houston Astros in the ALCS. Here's how you can watch Game 5.
Starter Gerrit Cole will be available out of the bullpen for the Yankees after throwing 110 pitches in seven innings Sunday night, manager Aaron Boone said Tuesday. Boone said he was be hesitant to use Cole, who insisted he could go again, on Monday, but said he could be in play during Tuesday's rain-delayed game.
"We'll see. I'll get with him today," Boone said Tuesday afternoon. "He could definitely be in play but we'll see how it goes here the next few hours with him. It's potentially in play."
Cole would be working on one day of rest in Game 5. The last non-opener to start one day, then come out of the bullpen two days later in the postseason was Boston Red Sox righty Nathan Eovaldi. Eovaldi threw six innings and 92 pitches in Game 3 of the 2019 ALCS against the Astros. He then came out of the bullpen to get four outs in Game 5 two days later.
Cole was prepared to come out of the bullpen for the Astros in Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, though he never got into the game because then-manager AJ Hinch only wanted to use him with a late lead. Cole had started Game 5 three days earlier, so that situation was much different than this year's. He had plenty of rest leading into Game 7 in 2019.
In terms of rest, New York's bullpen is in better shape heading into Game 5 thanks to the rainout. Their top relievers were used heavily in Games 2-4, including lefty Wandy Peralta pitching in all three games.
