The MLB postseason doesn’t offer much recovery time.
The New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians are about to discover exactly how little. Both teams dropped Game 1 of their respective American League Division Series at home Saturday.
Both return Monday facing games that could dramatically change the postseason bracket.
Yankees have to solve Tampa Bay
New York managed only one hit in its 1-0 Game 1 loss to the Rays. Drew Rasmussen carried a no-hitter into the eighth inning and struck out 10 across eight scoreless frames.
Jonathan Aranda’s solo homer supplied Tampa Bay’s only run.
That was enough.
Game 2 begins Monday at 8 p.m. ET in St. Petersburg, with New York trying to avoid returning home down 0-2 in a best-of-five series. The Yankees are already operating without Aaron Judge, who was left off the ALDS roster because of a calf injury.
Another loss would leave New York one defeat from elimination.
MORE: Why Ty France’s potential go-ahead HR being ruled an out was the right call
Cleveland faces the same problem
The Guardians’ situation isn’t much better. Chicago used five pitchers to combine for a three-hit shutout in its 3-0 Game 1 victory. Munetaka Murakami hit a two-run homer, while Grant Taylor covered four innings out of the bullpen.
Game 2 begins Monday at 5 p.m. ET in Cleveland.
The Guardians won the AL Central by one game over Chicago during the regular season. That advantage means very little now.
If the White Sox win again, they will return home Wednesday with two opportunities to eliminate their division rival. That is what makes Monday’s American League schedule so compelling.
Nobody can be eliminated.
Two teams can get awfully close.
The postseason field has already been reduced from 12 teams to eight.
By late Monday night, the Yankees and Guardians could either have completely reset their respective series or find themselves one loss from joining the Astros, Red Sox, Cubs and Phillies on the sidelines.
October moves quickly. For New York and Cleveland, the next nine innings may determine just how quickly.
