The 2024 American League Championship Series was a

best-of-seven playoff There are a number of formats used in various levels of competition in sports and games to determine an overall champion. Some of the most common are the ''single elimination'', the ''best-of-'' series, the ''total points series'' more commonly kn ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

's 2024 postseason. The top-seeded

New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...

defeated the second-seeded

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

, four games to one, to become

American League The American League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the American League (AL), is the younger of two sports leagues, leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada. It developed from the Western L ...

(AL) champions for the 41st time. With the victory, the Yankees advanced to the

2024 World Series The 2024 World Series was the World Series, championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2024 Major League Baseball season, 2024 season. The 120th edition of the World Series, it was a best-of-seven playoff between the National League (b ...

, their first appearance in the World Series since

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

. For his performance, Yankees hitter

Giancarlo Stanton Giancarlo Cruz-Michael Stanton (born November 8, 1989), formerly known as Mike Stanton, is an American professional baseball designated hitter and outfielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in ML ...

won the AL Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award. The series began on October 14 and ended on October 19. TBS televised all games in the United States. The Yankees faced the

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

champion

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...

in the World Series, where they lost in five games. This was the first ALCS since

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

without the

Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

participating in the series.

Background

This is the first American League Championship Series since

to not feature the

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...

, who were swept by the

Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...

in the

Wild Card Series The Wild Card Series (formerly known as Wild Card Game from 2012 to 2019 and in 2021) are games that serve as the opening round of the Major League Baseball (MLB) postseason. A single wild card game was instituted in 2012. This became a best ...

. This brought an end to the Astros' streak of seven consecutive ALCS appearances (

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

–

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

), the most consecutive LCS appearances in the American League and the second-most consecutive LCS appearances after the

Atlanta Braves The Atlanta Braves are an American professional baseball team based in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The Braves compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Eas ...

' consecutive NLCS appearances of eight (

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

–

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, excluding 1994 that was not played due to a players' strike). The

qualified for the postseason as the

American League East The American League East is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. MLB consists of an East, Central, and West division for each of its two 15-team leagues, the American League (AL) and National League (baseball), National League (NL). T ...

division winner and the league's top seed. They clinched a playoff berth on September 18, returning to the postseason for the seventh time in eight years. They clinched the division on September 26 with a win over the

Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles (also known as the O's) are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. As one of the America ...

, which is their third divisional title in six years (

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

, and this year). They are playing in their 59th postseason in franchise history, the most postseason appearances by a single team in Major League Baseball history. In the Division Series, they defeated the

Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...

in four games to advance to the American League Championship Series for the 19th time in franchise history, the fourth time in eight years (

, and this year), and their first ALCS appearance where their opponent is not the Houston Astros since

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

. The Yankees were attempting to win their record 41st American League pennant and return to the

World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...

for the first time since they won their record 27th championship title in

, which would end their 15-year World Series appearance drought. The

qualified for the postseason as the

American League Central The American League Central is one of Major League Baseball's six divisions. This division was formed in the realignment of 1994 by moving three teams from the American League West and two teams from the American League East. Its teams are al ...

division winner and the league's second seed. They clinched a playoff berth on September 19, returning to the postseason for the seventh time in 12 years. They clinched the division on September 21 with the Kansas City Royals' loss to the San Francisco Giants, which is their second division title in three years. In the Division Series, they defeated the

in five games to advance to the American League Championship Series for the first time since

. Overall, this is their seventh ALCS appearance in franchise history. The Guardians were attempting to return to the World Series for the first time since

when they lost in seven games as the Cleveland Indians to the

Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...

. The Guardians currently hold the longest active championship drought in Major League Baseball for 76 years since they last won their championship in

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...

. With the

New York Mets The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National ...

having clinched an NLCS berth the night previous, this was the farthest that both New York teams in Major League Baseball have gone in the postseason since

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, which was when the Yankees beat the Mets in the

in five games. This series marked the seventh postseason meeting between the two teams, with the Yankees having won four of the previous six meetings. Cleveland defeated New York in the ALDS in

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

and

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, while New York prevailed in the 1998 ALCS, 2017 ALDS, 2020 AL Wild Card, and most recently the 2022 ALDS. Both the Yankees and Guardians missed the postseason in 2023. In six head-to-head matchups during the 2024 regular season, the Yankees won four and the Guardians won two.

Summary

Game summaries

Game 1

Game 1 featured starting pitchers

Carlos Rodón Carlos Antonio Rodón (born December 10, 1992) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played MLB for the Chicago White Sox and San Francisco Giants. Rodón is a two- ...

for the Yankees and Alex Cobb for the Guardians. Juan Soto opened the scoring in the bottom of the third, hitting a solo home run off Cobb to put the Yankees on the board. The Yankees then scored two more runs on a wild pitch, with

Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a six-time MLB All-Star and two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP ...

and then

reaching home on separate pitches by Joey Cantillo. In the bottom of the fourth, Judge added another run, plating

Gleyber Torres Gleyber David Torres Castro (born December 13, 1996) is a Venezuelan professional baseball second baseman for the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Yankees. Torres made his MLB debut ...

with a sacrifice fly to extend the Yankees' lead to 4–0. In the top of the sixth, Brayan Rocchio hit a solo home run off Carlos Rodón to put the Guardians on the board and cut their deficit to 4–1. In the bottom of the seventh, Stanton hit a solo home run off Erik Sabrowski to extend the Yankees' lead to 5–1. In the top of the eighth, Steven Kwan hit an RBI single to score Andrés Giménez, cutting the Guardians' deficit to 5–2. Luke Weaver closed out the win by striking out Austin Hedges swinging for the Yankees to take Game 1 and the 1–0 series lead. With the victory, the Yankees won their first League Championship Series game since Game 5 of the 2019 ALCS.

Game 2

Game 2 featured starting pitchers

Gerrit Cole Gerrit Alan Cole (born September 8, 1990) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros. Cole played for the bas ...

for the Yankees and

Tanner Bibee Tanner Hayes Bibee ( ; born March 5, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He made his MLB debut in 2023. Amateur career Bibee attended Mission Viejo High School in Mission ...

for the Guardians. The Yankees started the scoring for Game 2 in the bottom of the first when

reached first base on a fielding error by Brayan Rocchio, scoring

. In the bottom of the second, Alex Verdugo hit an RBI double, scoring Anthony Volpe. Then Judge hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Anthony Rizzo and increasing the Yankees' lead to 3–0. In the top of the fifth,

Josh Naylor Joshua-Douglas James Naylor (born June 22, 1997) is a Canadian professional baseball first baseman for the Arizona Diamondbacks of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Guardians. The ...

hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Steven Kwan as the Guardians cut the lead to 3–1. Then Will Brennan grounded into a force out at first base as he allowed Kyle Manzardo to score to cut the Yankees' lead to 3–2. In the bottom of the sixth, Rizzo hit an RBI double, scoring Volpe and giving the Yankees a 4–2 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Judge hit a two-run home run off Hunter Gaddis to extend the Yankees' lead to 6–2, scoring Torres. In the top of the ninth, José Ramírez hit a home run off closer Luke Weaver to cut the Yankees' lead to 6–3. Weaver then closed out the game for the Yankees to extend their series lead to 2–0 as the series shifted to Cleveland for Game 3. With this victory, the Yankees won the first two games of the ALCS for the first time since

against the

Los Angeles Angels The Los Angeles Angels are an American professional baseball team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Angels compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, ...

Game 3

Game 3 featured starting pitchers Clarke Schmidt for the Yankees and Matthew Boyd for the Guardians. In the top of the second, Jose Trevino hit an RBI single, scoring Anthony Volpe to put the Yankees on the board for a 1–0 lead. In the bottom of the third, Kyle Manzardo hit a two-run home run off Schmidt to turn the game upside down as the Guardians took the lead at 2–1. That home run was also Manzardo's first career postseason home run. In the bottom of the sixth, Andrés Giménez hit an RBI single, scoring Lane Thomas to extend the Guardians' lead to 3–1. In the top of the eighth,

hit a home run off

Emmanuel Clase Emmanuel Clase ( ; born March 18, 1998) is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Texas Rangers, making his debut with the team in 2019. Cla ...

, and

hit a solo home run back-to-back, also off Clase, giving the Yankees the lead at 4–3. In the top of the ninth,

hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Volpe to extend the Yankees' lead to 5–3. In the bottom of the ninth, Yankees closer Luke Weaver got

to ground into a double play, putting the Yankees one out away from closing out Game 3. The Yankees were one strike away from winning the game when the next batter, Lane Thomas, hit a double off the left field wall to keep Cleveland alive. Jhonkensy Noel then hit a two-run home run off Weaver to tie the game at 5–5 and send the game into extra innings. In the bottom of the 10th, David Fry hit a walk-off two-run home run off Clay Holmes to end the game with a 7–5 victory for the Guardians. Fry's blast was the first postseason walk-off home run for Cleveland since 2022 ALWC Game 2 against the

Tampa Bay Rays The Tampa Bay Rays are an American professional baseball team based in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. They are one of two major ...

by Oscar González.

Game 4

Game 4 featured starting pitchers Gavin Williams for the Guardians and Luis Gil for the Yankees. In the top of the first, Juan Soto hit a two-run home run off Williams to put the Yankees on the board with an early lead of 2–0. In the bottom of the first, José Ramírez hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Steven Kwan to cut the Yankees' lead at 2–1. In the top of the second, Austin Wells hit a solo home run off Williams to give the Yankees a 3–1 lead. In the bottom of the third,

hit an RBI single, scoring Kwan to cut the Yankees' lead at 3–2. In the top of the sixth,

hit a three-run home run off Cade Smith, scoring Soto and

to give the Yankees a 6–2 lead. In the bottom of the seventh, Ramírez hit an RBI double, followed by a two-run RBI double by Naylor to narrow the Guardians' deficit to 6–5. In the bottom of the eighth, David Fry hit an RBI single to score Bo Naylor and tie the game at 6–6. In the top of the ninth, the Yankees retook the lead 7–6 with Alex Verdugo reaching first base on a fielding error by Brayan Rocchio to score Jon Berti.

then hit an RBI single to score Anthony Volpe, further extending the Yankees' lead to 8–6. Tommy Kahnle closed out the game for the Yankees to take a 3–1 series lead, putting them one win away from their first World Series appearance since

Game 5

Game 5 featured starting pitchers

for the Guardians and

for the Yankees. In the top of the first, Bibee escaped a bases-loaded jam without surrendering a run by getting Anthony Rizzo to fly out. In the bottom of the second, Bo Naylor hit an RBI double, scoring

to put the Guardians on the board with a score of 1–0. In the bottom of the fifth, Steven Kwan hit an RBI single, scoring Andrés Giménez to extend the lead to 2–0. In the top of the sixth,

hit a two-run home run off Bibee for the Yankees to tie the game at 2–2, scoring

. In the bottom of the ninth, Luke Weaver threw a 1–2–3 inning to send the game into extra innings for the second time in the series. In the top of the tenth, Juan Soto hit a three-run home run off Hunter Gaddis for the Yankees to take the lead 5–2. Weaver then closed out the game in the bottom of the inning to clinch the Yankees' 41st pennant and send them to the World Series for the first time since

. With the loss, the Guardians extended their championship drought to 76 seasons dating back to

. Yankees hitter

hit four home runs, drove in seven runs, and scored five runs during the series, earning him the AL Championship Series Most Valuable Player Award.

Composite line score

2024 ALCS (4–1):

beat

References

External links

Major League Baseball postseason schedule
{{DEFAULTSORT:American League Championship Series, 2024 2024 Major League Baseball season 2024 in Cleveland 2024 in sports in New York City 2024 in sports in Ohio 2020s in the Bronx October 2024 sports events in the United States Baseball competitions in Cleveland

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...