1 unexpected reason the Yankees ALCS advantage over the Guardians has been so clear

The New York Yankees have taken the first two games of the ALCS over the Cleveland Guardians. All postseason long, Aaron Boone has gotten stellar performances from his relievers. Through 23.1 innings of work across six postseason games, New York’s relievers have allowed just two earned runs. As a unit so far, they’ve posted a 0.77 ERA in the playoffs.

Many fans questioned the strength of the Yankees bullpen heading into the playoffs. Clay Holmes set a record for the most blown saves in the regular season, and Boone ran out of reliable options in his bullpen.

In the postseason, New York has had key guys step up. Without the relievers keeping opposing teams in check, the Bronx Bombers wouldn’t be two wins away from the World Series.

Yankees bullpen is clicking at the perfect time

New York’s closer Luke Weaver has been lights out, outside of one bad pitch to Jose Ramirez. Through seven innings of work, Weaver allowed just one run on three hits in the playoffs. Holmes has been phenomenal as well, as he hasn’t allowed a single earned run in the postseason play. Tommy Khanle also has yet to allow a run in four playoff appearances.

Offensively, the Yankees have a star-studded lineup. Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto have been on fire in the playoffs. Aaron Judge also broke out of his slump with a three-run home run in Game 2 of the ALCS.

Even though the Yankees can score a ton of runs, the starters haven’t been as reliable as before. Carlos Rodon has a great start in Game 1 of the ALCS, but he’s also struggled in this postseason. Even Gerrit Cole has looked shaky in two out of three of his outings.

Boone has had to rely on his bullpen a lot this postseason; it has paid off every time. If Judge and the rest of the lineup perform at a high level with the relievers pitching like this, they will be hard to beat.

The Yankees are sitting two wins away from an American League pennant for the first time since 2009. New York’s relievers have played a crucial role in getting them to this spot. If they can continue to perform, the Yankees might just bring the 28th World Series trophy to the Bronx.