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2024 MLB Playoff Bracket: Updated Photo After Gerrit Cole, Yankees Beat Royals | News, scores, highlights, stats and rumors

Bleacher Report

The New York Yankees advance to the American League Championship Series after beating the Kansas City Royals 3-1 in Game 4 of the AL Division Series on Thursday night.

Here’s a look at the updated World Series odds, per DraftKings Sportsbook, after the Yankees’ win.

br_bet @br_bet

THE YANKEES ARE AT THE ALCS AND FAVORITES TO WIN THEIR FIRST WORLD SERIES IN 15 YEARS…

(opportunities via @DKSportsbook) pic.twitter.com/Bnj2XYwzPU

Gerrit Cole pitched seven innings of one-run ball, striking out four and scattering six hits. The Yankees’ runs came via RBI singles by Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton in the first, fifth and sixth innings, respectively. Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver each pitched perfect innings to narrow the Yankees’ three-games-to-one ALDS win.

And with that, the Yankees advanced to the ALCS for the fourth time since 2017. New York will be looking for its first pennant (and World Series victory) since 2009.

The Yanks will have home field advantage in the ALCS against the Cleveland Guardians or Detroit Tigers.

Cleveland defeated Detroit 5-4 on Thursday to tie the ALDS at two games apiece and keep the season alive. David Fry’s pinch-hit two-run homer in the seventh inning turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead. Fry later bunted home Brayan Rocchio for an insurance run in the top of the ninth. Cleveland needed that, as an RBI groundout by Jace Jung in the bottom of the ninth made it 5-4. But star closer Emmanuel Clase completed the five-out save.

The Guardians also benefited from a solo homer by José Ramírez and three singles and two runs by Steven Kwan.

Cleveland will host Detroit for the series-deciding Game 5 on Saturday at 4:38 PM ET.

In the National League, the New York Mets took the top LCS spot after defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in four games in the NLDS. The Mets started the season 0-5 and later played eleven games under .500 in early June before rebounding over the final four months.

The 89-win Mets finished as the NL No. 6 seed and headed to Milwaukee to face the NL Central champion Brewers. The prospects looked bleak when the Mets trailed 2-0 in the top of the ninth inning in the series-deciding Game 3, but a Pete Alonso three-run homer quickly changed their outlook. Starling Marte’s RBI single provided insurance in a 4-2 run.

Next up were the NL East champion Phillies, and the Mets eliminated them via phenomenal hitting (seven home runs, including two from Alonso and Mark Vientos each) and pitching (2.78 team ERA, seven shutout frames from Sean Manaea).

They await the winner of the heated rivalry between Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres. These teams are tied for two games each, with Game 5 taking place Friday at 8:08 PM ET in LA.

LA finished the year with the league’s best record: 98-64. Shohei Ohtani delivered one of the greatest seasons in baseball history, becoming the first MLB player to post a 50-50 campaign (54 home runs, 55 stolen bases). He was flanked by an impressive attack, supported by performances from the likes of Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez. LA’s starting pitching was unfortunately plagued by injuries all year,

Meanwhile, San Diego finished the season 43-19 after a 50-50 start. The Padres got stellar performances from the lineup, including superstars Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., rookie Jackson Merrill and hitting machine Luis Arraez, who joined the Padres via trade in May. The pitching staff was also exceptional, with offseason acquisitions Dylan Cease and Michael King particularly excelling.

The Padres advanced to the NLDS after defeating the Atlanta Braves two games to none in the Wild Card round. King struck out 12 over seven shutout frames in a 4-0 win in Game 1, while a five-run second inning propelled San Diego to a 5-4 victory in Game 2.