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October 19, 1924 – Yankee Stadium, The Bronx
There are no ghosts in the Bronx right now — not the kind that used to show up when October baseball came to Yankee Stadium. What there is, though, is a very real, very modern, very merciless Cleveland Indians team that has once again walked into the House That Ruth Built and made it look like their own.
Cleveland didn’t just win Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. They reminded everyone — especially the Yankees — that this is their era, their time, their October. A 4–1 win, clean and commanding, to take a 1–0 lead in the best-of-seven series. And if it felt familiar, that’s because it is. Last year, the Indians handled the Yankees in five games to punch their ticket to the World Series. Now, they’ve picked up right where they left off.
Mike Niccolai was the story, as he so often is when Cleveland needs him to be. Seven innings, five hits, eleven strikeouts — and the kind of poise that says, “We’ve been here before.” He didn’t overpower the Yankees as much as he out-thought them, mixing speeds, living on the edges, and letting that fastball sing when he needed it most.
“Mike attacked hitters and trusted his stuff,” said Indians manager Kevin Neubauer afterward. You could almost hear the grin behind the words — the satisfaction of a man whose team knows exactly who it is.
And who they are is relentless. Jesus Satiago’s third-inning homer off Steve Janczak was a statement swing — the kind that silenced the 44,000 fans who came hoping to see the start of a Yankee revenge tour. Zane Eneki, who’s been seeing the ball like it’s the size of a grapefruit all postseason, drove in another run in the eighth with a ringing double to right. Wally Cobos added two more doubles for good measure.
Meanwhile, the Yankees — a proud team that’s made a habit of rewriting October — looked tentative. They struck out 13 times and managed just a single run, a lonely tally in the fourth when a misplayed grounder gave them a brief glimpse of life. That was it.
By the ninth, the Indians were in full control, every out a reminder of how much this rivalry has changed. The Yankees used to be the bullies of October. Now, Cleveland looks like the team that knows how to win these games — and how to win them on this stage.
So here we are again. The Indians up 1–0, the Yankees searching for answers, and the Bronx suddenly quiet. Maybe tomorrow it changes. Maybe. But for now, the message is loud and clear:
Cleveland owns October, and the Yankees are still trying to find the keys to get back inside.
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