It may have been the only piece of good news to come out of the debacle that was the postponed Game 5 situation for the Yankees and Cleveland Guardians. What was supposed to be a start for Jameson Taillon now becomes a start for Nestor Cortes on Tuesday.
Rain forced Major League Baseball to push back Game 5 from Monday night to late Tuesday afternoon, which allowed for enough time for manager Aaron Boone to feel comfortable to turn the ball over to the regular season ace. Cortes had thrown his first postseason start on Friday in Game 2, which coincidentally had also been postponed due to inclement weather.
He threw five innings while surrendering two earned runs for the Yankees in the loss. Taillon is expected to be available out of the bullpen if needed on Tuesday.
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The Guardians did not say who would get the start for them, but manager Terry Francona had said before the game that Aaron Civale would take the mound for Game 5 regardless if the game was postponed. Officially, Cleveland has it listed as TBD.
First pitch for Game 5 is now slated for 4:07 p.m. on Tuesday with the winner advancing to the American League Championship Series and a date with the Houston Astros.
