Cobb’s keys to beating Yanks in G1 of ALCS

NEW YORK — Alex Cobb may have three more innings to add to his 2024 résumé, but his situation hasn’t gotten any less strange.

In theory, where Cobb is right now would be like a pitcher nearing the end of Spring Training, getting ready to switch into regular-season mode. In reality, he’s making just his fifth start of the year in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

“It’s probably not how you draw it up to start the year,” Cobb said, “but I feel like I’ve done everything I can to make sure that I’ve mentally stayed sharp.”

The Guardians had two obvious starting options for Game 1 of the ALCS: Cobb or Gavin Williams. But Williams has been in the bullpen for the past two weeks in case Cleveland needed to use him in relief. He may not have been able to get his usual work in to prepare for a start since the Guardians had no way to know if he’d be needed during the AL Division Series.

That leaves Cobb, who is on regular rest for Game 1 after having gone more than a month without pitching in a game before making his Game 3 start in the ALDS on Wednesday afternoon.

“The velo was there. The stuff was there,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Alex has pitched in this league for a really long time, and we trust him to take the ball.”

A plethora of injuries have led to this headache. Cobb didn’t make his debut until mid-August. He then suffered more setbacks that limited him to three starts before he pitched three innings against the Tigers, giving up two runs on three hits and one walk.

“It helped a lot to get back into that game action and feel the adrenaline of the postseason,” Cobb said, “and I’ll be able to take that into my next [start].”

But Cobb, the Guardians and everyone else know that the Yankees play a much different style of game than the Tigers. Cleveland lost four of the six games it played against New York this season.

Cobb was asked what the keys would be for him to set the tone for the Guardians on Monday night at Yankee Stadium. Here’s what he listed:

Get ground ballsYankee Stadium is home run friendly and every pitcher coming into The Bronx knows it. Of the 30 Major League ballparks, Yankee Stadium saw the most regular-season homers (226) in 2024. So the goal for Cobb will be to keep the ball on the ground, which may play well into his skill set.

It’s hard to trust this season’s numbers simply because Cobb hardly pitched this year, although he did have a 61.2 ground-ball percentage. But that’s not far from the norm for the righty. In his nine tracked seasons, he’s averaged a 54.4 ground-ball percentage. In 2023, it was 57.8 percent, and in ’22, it was 61.9 percent. The MLB average this year was 42.7 percent.

Avoid the top of the lineupIt sounds easy enough to keep the ball on the ground, especially for a ground-ball pitcher, however it’s a much tougher task when you’re seeing guys like Juan Soto, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton step into the batter’s box.

Cobb has faced the Yankees the second most of any opponent in his 13-year career. He owns a 3.19 ERA in 115 2/3 innings against them. But Cobb was in the AL East before Judge became a fixture in New York, so he hasn’t had a chance to face the AL MVP favorite yet.

In eight starts at Yankee Stadium, Cobb has given up 11 homers in 48 1/3 innings. So as much as he does rely on the ground ball, this stadium can get the best of any hurler.

“Obviously you want to not let the big three, four guys to beat you,” Cobb said, “but the bottom of the lineup presents its own challenges as well.”

Ignore the noiseCobb knows what a New York atmosphere is like. The young Guardians, too, got a taste of it in 2022 during the ALDS. Everyone is prepared for a wild environment. Josh Naylor knows — he got a healthy reception from the “rock the baby” home run celebration two years ago.

It’s going to be loud. It’s going to be a more intimidating environment than they had in the ALDS. So tuning it all out and playing Guards Ball will be key.

“We know we’ve got our work cut out for us. The catching staff here and the coaching staff always put together excellent game plans,” Cobb said. “It leads to just executing it after that.”