MLB Playoffs: Yankees' power advantage ensures ALCS win in Game 4

Stringing together hits without hard contact played a crucial role in the Yankees regaining the lead in the ninth. However, the strength and, more importantly, the power difference between these two teams proved to be a crucial factor in giving New York a 3-1 lead.

When evaluating these two ball bats, it was found that perhaps one of the bigger production and quality differences lay in their ability to hit the ball consistently. No one knows exactly how a team will react after a loss as heartbreaking as Game 3. However, in this particular case, Yankee fans couldn't ask for anything better as their bats were swinging at the young Gavin Williams.

Before two innings were completed, Austin Wells and Juan Soto had both hit home runs against Williams. A few frames later, the man whose entire portfolio of postseason hits has left the court at Progressive Field appeared against Cade Smith, arguably Cleveland's most effective reliever this postseason. Giancarlo Stanton crushed a three-run home run with what looked like a dagger as the Yankees took a 6-2 lead at that point.

If Game 3 taught us anything, it's that no game is ever over until it's over, and the Guardians made sure to back that up with four unanswered runs in the late innings. Still, the foundation of those six runs on the long ball ensured that the Yankees were almost always ahead and never trailed in this game, maintaining the confidence to create a decisive opportunity in Game 5.

While the Yankees had their fair share of baserunners in this game, they didn't have many options with runners in scoring position, at least not compared to Cleveland. The Yankees went 2-6 with RISP and the Guardians had 14 of them and scored four times. Ultimately, if you outscore your opponent three to zero, the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor.

Even judging the three guys who went yard for the Yankees, you have a good idea of ​​the depth of this offense that can hurt you from almost top to bottom, not as top-heavy as some might assume. One of the company's stars helped give Soto his second long ball in as many games. While Stanton may hit like a superstar in the playoffs, at this point in his career he is expected to join the second line of veteran players tasked with covering Soto and Judge. Because of his potential and regular season prospects, Wells had a prime spot in the rankings at the start of the playoffs, and now he was batting in eighth place against a right-hander after missing the previous game.

It shows that a significant portion of this cast are never that far from having to pay for a mistake, and that's exactly what was shown this time. Cleveland has some of those guys, but they are fewer and farther apart. For comparison: It wasn't until the end of the seventh that Cleveland landed its second extra base hit of the game.

On the one hand, you have a team with a game with multiple home runs, and that came about the same way the Guardians did in Game 3. On the other hand, you have the powerful Yankees, who hit multiple home runs in all four games of this series achieved. Over a series of seven games, it is clear which team benefits more from this.