Yankees rise as top contenders for World Series title after narrowly defeating Guardians in Game 4 of ALCS
Just one evening after relinquishing a 5-3 advantage in the ninth inning and ultimately losing in the 10th, the New York Yankees appeared determined to hinder the Cleveland Guardians from gaining any further momentum in the American League Championship Series on Friday.
Cleveland nearly succeeded, however. They managed to climb out of a four-run deficit in the sixth inning, tying the game at 6 when Game 3 hero David Fry singled in a run in the bottom of the eighth.
But this time, the Guardians would not experience a fairytale ending. The Yankees struck for two runs in the top of the ninth before shutting down Cleveland in the bottom of the inning, securing an 8-6 victory and a 3-1 lead in the ALCS.
The Yankees' resilience on Friday also caught the attention of bookmakers, as BetMGM now has them listed as a -105 favorite to win the World Series. The Yankees had previously been at +145, the second shortest odds behind the Los Angeles Dodgers (-135).
Los Angeles' odds have now shifted to +110 after being defeated by the Mets 12-6 in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series on Friday. Despite this, the Dodgers still hold a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series, which will resume in Game 6 on Sunday on the West Coast.
BetMGM does not have much faith in the Guardians, who are +1000 underdogs in the ALCS and have +2500 odds in the World Series race.
The Mets have +400 odds to complete a comeback in the NLCS, with their championship odds at +900.
If the Yankees defeat Cleveland in Game 5 on Saturday, they will advance to the World Series for the first time since 2009.
