NEW YORK — Forty-one minutes after the Yankees beat the Guardians 5–1 in a winner-take-all Game 5 of the American League Division Series, the only sign of their victory was that they were packing their lockers for Houston rather than for home.
The Yankees did celebrate: They doused each other in Bud Heavy and Faire la Fête (translation: to party) Champagne. They posed for photos on the field. They hugged their families. But they wore more alcohol than they drank, and by 8 p.m., the plastic sheeting that protects the clubhouse from celebrations was gone and the players were mostly showered and ready to go.
A Delta charter plane was waiting to take them to Houston Hobby airport, and onto the American League Championship Series, which was scheduled to begin 24 hours and 18 minutes after Tuesday’s game ended.
