Just one night after coughing up a 5-3 lead in the ninth inning and going on to lose in the 10th, the New York Yankees looked determined to prevent the Cleveland Guardians from picking up any more momentum in the American League Championship Series on Friday.
Cleveland almost did, though. It managed to crawl out of a four-run hole that it had fallen into in the sixth inning, drawing even at 6 when Game 3 hero David Fry singled home a run in the home half of the eighth.
But this time there would be no fairy-tale ending for the Guardians, who saw New York strike for a pair of runs in the top of the ninth before silencing Cleveland in the bottom of the frame for an 8-6 win and a 3-1 edge in the ALCS.
The Yankees’ resiliency on Friday also caught the eye of bookmakers, with BetMGM now listing New York as a -105 favorite to win the World Series. The Yankees had entered the day at +145, good for the second-shortest odds behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (-135).
Los Angeles moved to +110 after getting roughed up by the Mets on Friday, 12-6, in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series. Still, the Dodgers hold a 3-2 edge in the best-of-seven set, which is headed back out to the West Coast for Game 6 on Sunday.
BetMGM believes there isn’t much hope for the Guardians, who are +1000 underdogs in the ALCS and sit at +2500 in the World Series race.
The Mets are +400 to complete a comeback in the NLCS, with their championship odds at +900.
Should the Yankees defeat Cleveland in Game 5 on Saturday, they would be headed to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
