NEW YORK _ The Indians and Yankees are back to square one, and an anticipated celebration in the visiting clubhouse at Yankee Stadium has been put on ice.
A couple of defensive miscues and a ball that landed fair by no more than an inch or two led to a disastrous second inning for the Indians, who played one of their worst defensive games in recent memory and lost to the New York Yankees 7-3 in Game 4 of the American League Division Series on Monday night.
It evens the series 2-2 after the Indians traveled to New York holding a 2-0 series lead and sets up a decisive Game 5 Wednesday night in Cleveland. Corey Kluber will take the mound for the Indians and CC Sabathia will start for the Yankees.
Trevor Bauer, who started Game 4 for the Indians on short rest, couldn't escape the second inning, though he didn't get much help from the defense behind him.
With one out in the bottom of the second, Starlin Castro lined a ball to the normally sure-handed Giovanny Urshela at third base, who instead had it hit off his shin for an error. A passed ball on Roberto Perez, one of the better defensive catchers in the game, then gave Castro second base.
With two outs, Todd Frazier made it costly, lining a ball that landed on the left-field line, sending chalk into the air, to give the Yankees a 1-0 lead. Bauer then worked Aaron Hicks to a 1-2 count and threw a curveball below the zone. Hicks checked his swing, though Bauer believed he had failed to hold up for what would have been strike three and the end of the inning. It was ruled that Hicks had checked his swing, and the at-bat continued. The next pitch was lined by Hicks into center field to score Frazier.
Brett Gardner sent a dribbler of a single back up the middle to set up Aaron Judge, who delivered the haymaker in the inning by lining a two-run double that one-hopped the wall in left field. It put the Yankees ahead 4-0 and ended Bauer's night.
Urshela's puzzlingly rough night wasn't over, though. In the bottom of the third, two walks and a double off Mike Clevinger loaded the bases with two outs for Gardner. Clevinger induced a routine grounder to Urshela, who looked to second before turning to first and firing his throw high enough to pull Carlos Santana off the base, allowing the fifth unearned run of the game to score.
The Indians chipped away against Yankees starter Luis Severino using the long ball. In the fourth inning, Santana drilled a two-run homer to center field and an inning later, Roberto Perez followed with a solo shot to right field to make it 5-3.
That was as close as the Indians would get to pulling off the second five-run comeback this series. In the sixth, a throwing error by pitcher Danny Salazar eventually led to a sacrifice fly on which Frazier took advantage of Jason Kipnis' arm in center field. Gardner hit a shallow fly ball but Kipnis' throw was too late to get the sliding Frazier for the sixth unearned run of the game. The Indians finished with four errors in the game. An inning later, Gary Sanchez hit a solo home run off Bryan Shaw to push the Yankees' lead to 7-3.
And with all of it, the Yankees kept their season alive and staved off elimination to force Game 5 in Cleveland.
