The big four that make the Guardians a dangerous challenge for Yankees

How many gifts can one team receive?The Yankees hardly could have designed a better road to trying to win their first pennant since 2009.First, the Orioles and, especially, the Astros were knocked out in the wild-card round, leaving just AL Central teams.Then the Tigers and Guardians went five games, forcing Cleveland to have to overtax the strength of its team — the bullpen — while eliminating Cy Young favorite Tarik Skubal.

Even if Detroit had won, its ace would not have been viable to start until Games 3 and, if necessary, 7, but he is the kind of lefty who has overwhelmed the Yankees this year and might have given a path for the Tigers to produce two of the needed four victories.Instead, the Yankees get the Guardians.Including their four-game Division Series ouster of the Royals, the Yankees are 27-8 against the AL Central this year, outscoring the competition 179-103 — no team had a better record against a division this year than the Yanks vs.

the AL Central.The Yanks and Guardians have met six previous times in the playoffs.The Yankees have won the last three.

That began with a 2017 upset of the defending AL champions and top-seeded Cleveland.That also began a stretch during which the Yankees have eliminated an AL Central team in the playoffs six straight times.The Yankees beat the Guardians two of three in each of their two series this year.

Cleveland scored just 22 runs in the six games and nine came in extra innings with the ghost runner, and both Guardians wins came in that situation.Can Cleveland win? Sure, playoffs are fickle.The Guardians have talent, especially in relief.

Here is a breakdown of what the Yankees can expect:A scout watched Stephen Vogt heavily use his main relievers — notably Scott Barlow, Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Nick Sandlin and Cade Smith — in the early weeks of the season and thought it was a rookie manager making a mistake, that there would be a big price on the back end.“I was so wrong,” Scout 1...