Austin Wells breaks thinking with Yankees ALCS Game 4 home run

CLEVELAND — For the first time since Aug. 28, Austin Wells was in the lineup but not in the mopup spot.

Before Game 4 of the ALCS against the Guardians, Aaron Boone said Wells had lost his momentum in recent weeks, moving him back to eighth while Jazz Chisholm Jr. was ranked fourth.

And in Wells' first at-bat in an 8-6 victory that put the Yankees on the brink of their first World Series appearance since 2009, the struggling catcher drilled his first home run of the postseason.

There was also a 0-for-21 skid that led to Wells being replaced behind the plate by Jose Trevino in Thursday's Game 3 loss.

“I definitely haven’t felt like myself in the last month,” Wells said. “But (Thursday) night I felt like I made a big adjustment after the game and noticed a few things when I was feeling good.”

After the toughest loss of the season, Wells went to Progressive Field early and worked on improving the way his swing approached the ball, feeling like he was exposing himself to throws in the zone.

And if he finished eighth in the rankings, then so be it.

“It doesn’t matter where I’m in the lineup,” Wells said. “I just want to be in the lineup.”

Wells had scored just 2 of 26 goals on Friday and hadn't scored since September 9th.

He struck twice later in the game, including at the start of the ninth.

“I feel like he missed some throws (and swung through some throws”), Aaron Boone said before the game. “He's usually a guy who puts the ball in play pretty well while controlling the strike zone. He swung and missed on some pitches, so maybe he had a chance to do something with it.”

That changed with two outs early in the second.

After Juan Soto's two-run pitch in the first inning gave the Yankees a quick lead and Cleveland responded with a run in the bottom of the inning, Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams struck out Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe to open the third inning.

But Wells smashed a four-seam fastball from Williams into the seats in right-center.

The 407-foot home run made it 3-1.

Where Wells ends up in the lineup for Game 5 on Saturday isn't as important as whether he gets his momentum back.

Boone said Wells was “maybe a little worn out” at this point in his rookie season, but that hasn't shaken the manager's confidence in him.

“I have a lot of confidence in him as a hitter and in who he is, just his DNA as a hitter,” Boone said. “For the future, I think he has the chance to show the best shots in the best moments. He’s such a hitter.”