New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe (11) hits a double during the second inning against the Cleveland Guardians in game two of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Yankee Stadium on Oct 15. Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

New York Yankees Leadoff Hitters Making Playoff History in 2024

Originally posted on Fastball on SI | By Brady Farkas | Last updated 10/17/24

After an off-day, the American League Championship Series will resume on Thursday afternoon in Cleveland. The Yankees currently lead the Guardians 2-0 in the best-of-seven series and are looking to move one step closer to their first World Series appearance since 2009.

Sure, the Yankees have utilized the long ball this series, with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Juan Soto each going deep, but they've also gotten historic production from the leadoff batter of innings.

Per Sarah Langs of MLB.com:

the Yankees have a .490 OBP leading off an inning this postseason

that’s the second-highest by any team in the first 6 games of a postseason, behind only the 1965 Dodgers’ .510

the Yankees have a .490 OBP leading off an inning this postseason

that’s the second-highest by any team in the first 6 games of a postseason, behind only the 1965 Dodgers’ .510
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) October 16, 2024

The Yankees have done a great job at creating pressure on Cleveland pitching by getting on at the start of innings. They've created pressure, driven up pitch counts and given themselves constant traffic on the bases. That has set the stage for the power in the Yankees lineup to come up in advantageous situations.

The Guardians haven't been to the World Series since the 2016 season and will need to win on Thursday in order to keep themselves a realistic chance of getting there again alive.

First pitch of Game 3 is set for 5:08 p.m. ET as Clarke Schmidt (Yankees) takes the mound against Matthew Boyd (Guardians). Schmidt is 0-0 with a 3.86 ERA this postseason while Boyd is 0-0 but owns a 0.00 ERA through two starts. He's thrown 6.2 shutout innings.

NLCS Game 4 between the Dodgers and Mets will take place at 8:08 p.m. ET.

Full playoff schedule in real time

BASEBALL PLAYOFFS SCHEDULE: The baseball postseason is in high gear now, two games into the AL and NL championship series. Here is the latest on the schedule, with dates, game times, TV information and pitching matchups. CLICK HERE

This article first appeared on Fastball on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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