Yankees vs Guardians ALDS Game 5: Highlights and Key Moments

After five hard-fought games, the New York Yankees walked away with an ALDS Game 5 victory at home. The tightly contested series against the Cleveland Guardians was the only division series to go to a fifth game, with the home team picking up the victory.

"There’s no quit in the @Yankees. They’re moving on to the ALCS! #CLINCHED #postseason" - MLB

The New York Yankees will now move on to the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros. The Yankees will be looking to avenge their 2019 ALCS loss to the Astros and hope to make their first World Series appearance since 2009.

Cleveland, who entered the postseason as the number three seed in the American League, have nothing to be ashamed of as they took the powerhouse New York Yankees to five games.

"The 2022 script was something special: the youngest team in baseball, a division title, and a 92-win season while peppering in some gritty come from behind wins and the emergence of some bright, young stars. This chapter closes, but the story of this group is far from over." - Cleveland Guardians

Here are the key moments in Game 5 that led to the New York ALDS victory.

Giancarlo Stanton's clutch ALDS home run

In the biggest game of his career, Cleveland Guardians starter Aaron Civale struggled immediately in the first inning. He began the night with a four-pitch walk from Gleyber Torres, a strikeout from Aaron Judge, and hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch.

This brought up Giancarlo Stanton, who gave the wild hometown crowd exactly what they wanted. The power-hitting adonis launched a 2-0 cutter over the short porch in right field and gave the Yankees a commanding 3-0 lead in the first inning of the ALDS finale.

"Stanton strikes first!" - MLB

Aaron Judge and Nestor Cortes seal the deal

The player of the game for the New York Yankees was breakout starting pitcher Nestor Cortes. The 27-year old Cuban-American pitcher dominated the Guardians throughout the game, allowing New York to ride the momentum into the late innings. While he only recorded two strikeouts, Cortes not only held the Guardians to one run, but allowed the Yankee bullpen to rest by eating up innings.

On the offensive side, potential AL MVP Aaron Judge launched a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning, all but securing the victory for New York, as the Guardians would only score once in the game.

"Aaron Judge kissing the Yankees logo after his HR" - B/R Walk-Off

While it was all smooth sailing for the Yankees to secure the ALDS, they did lose outfielder Aaron Hicks for the remainder of the postseason with a knee injury. The injury occurred after Hicks collided with teammate Oswaldo Cabrera. While the Yankees have replacement players, the loss of Aaron Hicks will make the coaching staff re-evaluate their plan for the ALCS.