In many ways, the Yankees’ victory in ALDS Game 4 and qualification for the next round of the postseason unfolded in a similar fashion to their previous victories that put them on this path.

Interestingly, in a series featuring not only the top two players in the American League, but also two of the best seasons in recent memory, neither Bobby Wit Jr.t nor Aaron Judge played the role of protagonist that had been expected of them before the series began. While these two MVP-level hitters had success in Game 4, other characters played more important roles that were familiar to the Yankees.

The recipe was pretty similar for the Yankees in this series, aside from a few hiccups in Game 1. Despite numerous speed bumps, provide enough pitching and let two batters carry the lineup. Before the playoffs, one would assume that these two hitters would be Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, but in this series we are actually talking about Gleyber Torres and Giancarlo Stanton.

In the Game 1 triumph, Torres hit a two-run home run and participated in another run-scoring rally as the Yanks cruised to a narrow victory. Torres and Stanton tag-teamed for one of the few runs in Game 2, and then there was the Stanton show in Game 3 (plus Torres walking in front of Soto to set up a bases-loaded sac fly).

There was some level of reassurance about how this game went, as the Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the first after Soto brought in Torres, who hit a double early in the game.

Speaking of comfort, this was a strange game in that regard, especially because the Yankees led from start to finish but were never really sure. That was partly because New York did that Only enough on both sides of the ball to maintain the lead, but never take a commanding lead. The lineup’s three runs aren’t going to blow anyone away, and as dominant as the back row looked for Gerrit Cole, he had more than his share of worrisome moments.

Both sides traded zeros for a while until Torres and Stanton extended the Yankees’ lead with an RBI each in the fifth and sixth frames. The former drove Michael Wacha out of the game with a much-needed two-out knock to make it 2-0. As for Stanton’s RBI, that was particularly significant as he caught Judge, who eventually got his first hit with a ringing double – no mean feat against Lucas Erceg. It’s worth noting that while Torres and Stanton were the main players in this series, Judge and Soto played an important role in the Yankees’ scoring in Game 4.

Maybe it was that one double, or it could be that they just never wanted anything to do with him, but Judge would draw walks in his next two plate appearances in the game, giving him five frees in the series bestowed.

As far as pitching goes, you know the old saying that it’s better to be lucky than to do good, that was kind of from Cole tonight. We know he’s good, so it was at least a relief to see luck on his side. Despite allowing hard contact, Cole conceded just a single extra-base hit in seven innings of work, culminating in a moment that stopped the hearts of Yankees everywhere. Kyle Isbel, of all people, almost tied the game at 3-0 with a fly ball to the right, which would have been a home run in 24 of 30 MLB stadiums and only didn’t go out because of the wind blowing in from the right. It was certainly the biggest, but only one of eight Royals batted balls over 95 mph that ended up as outs.

It’s okay to be worried about Cole moving forward despite all the worrying signs he showed in a game like this and needing a lot of luck to keep things as they are. On the other hand, you have the glass half full of an established team with all the talent in the world that may finally be able to break through with the Yankees in the playoffs.

However, the theme of this game, and perhaps the entire series, was comfort in discomfort. The Yankees never trailed by a single pitch on the road, but they also never had a lead of more than three runs. Luckily, they had guys like Torres and Stanton who saved the day on multiple occasions.

These Yankees now leave KC and will face another AL Central opponent as the Guardians and Tigers will face off in Game 5 in Cleveland tomorrow night. The American League Championship Series begins Monday night in the Bronx.