How postponement-induced obstacles affect Yankees, Guardians

There will be attempts to grasp meaning because we are humans and we want answers. Not doubt. Not more questions. Not a shrug when trying to explain who it is good for or bad for that a baseball game was rained out Monday night under bizarre circumstances. 

If people screaming at each other on TV and making millions to do so has taught us nothing else, it is that it is better in this moment in time to be loud, definitive, lacking in information and without any qualms about being wrong. 

But these playoffs should be proof of the randomness and unpredictability of — let’s laser focus on one period and one sport — October baseball. We are now in the midst of every hot take available to fix the playoff system because the 100-plus win Mets, Braves and Dodgers lasted a total of three wins — combined — this month. 

So what does it mean that Nestor Cortes will now go on short rest Tuesday in a rescheduled Game 5 while Cleveland manager Terry Francona had intimated to reporters well before the rainout that he would stick with No. 4 starter Aaron Civale rather than ace Shane Bieber if there were a rainout? It means, well, who knows what it means? 

The Yankees were 167-0 in postseason history when leading by multiple runs going into the last inning of Division Series Game 3 and Cleveland was 0-43. By the end of the ninth inning Saturday, the new records were 167-1 and 1-43. If that isn’t certain … 

So who knows what it means that the off-day between the Division Series and the ALCS will evaporate and, thus, whoever survives between Cleveland and New York late Tuesday afternoon will have to fly to Houston to play the well-rested Astros at home on Wednesday night? The Astros played the equivalent of two games Saturday by beating the Mariners 1-0 in 18 innings to sweep that series. 

That gives them three off-days to rest and set up their starters and bullpen just so. Great. Except that was supposed to be the edge provided to the top two seeds in each league. Those four teams got first-round byes and five days off and only the Astros have so far survived the rust over rest. The Dodgers and Braves were eliminated. The Yankees are playing a jump-ball game now Tuesday. 

“I’ve been in this game a long time now and I know wishing on which opponent you would rather play or maybe if this domino falls, this would benefit you more or maybe benefit you less; it feels like the baseball gods never let it play out that way,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said. “It’s just whatever is going to be is going to be. Ultimately, at the end of the day, the final official call [on whether to rain out the game] sits with Major League Baseball and so there’s no strategy involved of playing versus not playing. It’s out of both teams’ hands for that….