Cole, the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner now in his fourth postseason as a Yankee, will look to extend his perfect playoff mark against Cleveland and lift the Yankees to a 2-0 ALCS lead.

Cole, 34, enters Game 2 with a 4-0 record and a 1.98 ERA in five starts against Cleveland, dating back to 2018, when Cleveland had a different nickname and Cole was a Houston Astro. But several patterns favor the Yankees Tuesday night: New York has had the upper hand in its last six playoff series against Cleveland, dating back to a 1998 ALCS conquest en route to a World Series title.

The Guardians hope to stop the bleeding after a 5-2 Game 1 loss with right-hander Tanner Bibee, their No. 1 starter on a bullpen-dependent club. But Bibee needs to at least get past five innings to align the Guardians’ powerful arms; the only bright spot from their Game 1 loss was a night off for relief stars like rookie Cade Smith, who pitched in all five games of the Division Series.