Guardians name Alex Cobb Game 1 starter for ALCS vs. Yankees

The Cleveland Guardians named right-hander Alex Cobb as their Game 1 starter for the American League Championship Series against the New York Yankees.

Cobb will square off Monday against Yankees left-hander Carlos Rodon.

After he underwent hip surgery following the 2023 season and experienced shoulder inflammation during spring training, Cobb did not make his season debut until Aug. 9 and made just three regular-season starts.

In his final start of the regular season on Sept. 1, Cobb took a perfect game into the seventh inning before giving up an infield single. He then missed another month with a torn fingernail and a blister.

Cobb, 37, returned in Game 3 of the AL Division Series against the Detroit Tigers and gave up two runs on three hits over three innings of an eventual 3-0 defeat. He threw 41 pitches in that outing and could be set to expand on that Monday.

In 13 major league seasons, Cobb is 79-76 with a 3.84 ERA in 233 starts for the Tampa Bay Rays (2011-17), Baltimore Orioles(2018-20), Los Angeles Angels (2021),San Francisco Giants(2022-23) and Guardians. He was an All-Star in 2023.

Cobb was traded from the Giants to the Guardians on July 30 while he was still on the injured list because of his shoulder inflammation.