One doesn’t have to look far back into history to find the last time a Major League team came back from an 0-2 deficit to win a seven-game playoff series. It has happened 15 times in 91 situations, most recently in 2023. The Phillies, 90-72 in the regular season last year, won the first two games of the NLCS with the 84-78 Arizona Diamondbacks in Philadelphia. The series moved to the desert for three games. The Diamondbacks won Games 3 and 4, but lost Game 5 before the series went back to Philadelphia. The Diamondbacks won twice to advance to the World Series, which they lost to the Texans Rangers. The 2024 Guardians are in the same mess the Diamondbacks were. They lost the first two games of the ALCS to the Yankees in New York. The next three games are set for Progressive Field, beginning with a 5:08 first pitch on Oct. 17. If the Guardians win and/or win on Oct. 18, Game 5 will be played in Cleveland at 8:08 p.m. Oct. 19. “We’re always confident going into every game,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said Oct. 16 during a news conference at Progressive Field. “We love playing at home. We love playing in front of our fans. Knowing we have three games here, we feel really good about it. “Obviously, we would have loved to have taken one in New York, but we still feel really good about our chances.” Left-hander Matthew Boyd will get the start for the Guardians. He started Game 2 of the ALDS with the Tigers. Boyd pitched 4 2/3 scoreless innings before Vogt went to the bullpen. The Guardians lost, 3-0, when Kerry Carpenter hit a three-run homer in the top of the ninth. Boyd started Game 5. He struck out five Tigers in the first two innings, but by the third inning, with the score 0-0, Vogt called upon Cade Smith to begin a parade of relievers. The Guardians won 7-3, to earn the right to face the Yankees in the next round. “Matt has thrown the ball well every time we’ve given it to him this year,” Vogt said. “He’s worked tremendously hard to get himself back healthy. We’ve talked about it. And Matt has been great for us. I’m excited to give him the ball and see what he can do.” Vogt does not want to have to go to his bullpen early in Game 3 as he did in Game 5 of the ALDS because unlike after Game 5 when the Guardians had a day off, he is going to have to count on his relievers for three consecutive days. Boyd is tasked with facing the team that led the American League in runs scored in the regular season (886) and both leagues in home runs (237) Center fielder Aaron Judge, who hits third in the Yankees lineup behind Juan Soto, led both leagues with 58 home runs and 144 RBI. Soto was second in the AL with 41 homers. “You go out there and attack,” Boyd said. “They’re very good hitters. You respect their ability, their reputation. What they did this year is really impressive. “It’s a welcome challenge, I think the biggest thing is you just go out there and compete against them.” Alex Cobb started Game 1 of the ALCS for the Guardians. He gave up three runs in 2 2/3 innings. Joey Cantillo was next and threw four wild pitches in one-third of an inning of a 5-2 loss. Tanner Bibee started Game 2, He lasted only 1 1/3 innings and gave up three runs, two of them earned, in a 6-3 loss. In the event the Yankees win Game 3, the Guardians could replicate what Boston did 20 years ago. The Red Sox fell behind the Yankees, 0-3, won the next four games and went on to win the World Series. Terry Francona was their manager. Guardians reliever Hunter Gaddis hands the ball to manager Stephen Vogt during the seventh inning of Game 2 of the ALCS against the Yankees on Oct. 15 in New York. (Frank Franklin II – The Associated Press) Yankees at Guardians What: ALCS, Game 3; Yankees lead, 2-0 When: 5:08 p.m., Oct. 17 Where: Progressive Field Pitchers: Yankees — Clarke Schmidt (0-0, 3.86) Guardian – Matthew Boyd (0-0, 0.00) TV: TBS Radio: WTAM AM-1100, WMMS-FM 100.7, WARF-AM 1350