The Cleveland Guardians are just one loss to the New York Yankees away from beginning their offseason. Despite a fierce comeback in the fourth after falling behind 6-2, the Guardians gave up two runs in the top of the ninth inning and lost 8-6. And once again it was their best pitcher, Emmanuel Clase, on the mound as the Yankees recovered.

It was the second time in a row that Clase had either drawn or taken the lead with the Guardians. And the second consecutive appearance where his team trailed after being eliminated from the game. In the third, Clase had two hits against Aaron Judge before allowing a game-winning two-run home run. He then allowed another home run to Giancarlo Stanton.

READ: Aaron Judge and Stanton play back-to-back, the Guardians stun the Yankees in the wild third

The Guardians staged a miraculous comeback to save the game, but Clase's performance was heavily criticized. And he responded by posting a defiant Instagram video after the game showcasing some of his achievements so far.

And then he did it again in the fourth game.

Oct. 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase (48) reacts in the ninth inning against the New York Yankees in Game Four of the ALCS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory attribution: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Guardians on the brink of elimination after Emmanuel Clase's disastrous ninth inning

With the game tied after Cleveland's incredible comeback effort, manager Stephen Vogt again turned to Clase to shut out the Yankees and give the Guardians a chance at another walk off. It didn't work.

Anthony Rizzo led off with a 68mph groundball single, then Anthony Volpe followed with a line-drive single to center. A stolen base put runners on second and third, and Clase struck out Austin Wells. Alex Verdugo bounced a swinging 44mph bunt short, pinch runner Jon Berti scored from third, and Brayan Rocchio's throwing error meant Cleveland had to get two more outs.

Gleyber Torres followed with another line drive single, giving New York a two-run lead.

The Yankees finished in ninth place, despite some shaky relief pitching, and moved within a World Series win.

Not all of this can be blamed on Clase; He didn't give up a single hard-hit ball, and two runners reached grounders that were hit at less than 70 mph. But there were few swings and misses, and the two line drives from Volpe and Torres were both clean singles into the outfield.

After giving up just five runs in the entire regular season, Clase has now allowed eight runs in six games this postseason. A 0.61 ERA in the regular season and a 10.69 ERA in the playoffs. This is baseball. It's hard to blame Clase for wanting to remain confident after the third game. There's little point in giving up after a bad trip. But for fans hoping for accountability, a defiant attitude is not good.

This once again highlights the problem with postseason narratives: Cleveland's greatest strength was supposedly their bullpen. Clase is an important part of it. Still, the Yankees scored five runs against him in just two appearances. There is no magic formula for playoff baseball; There is no way to guarantee anything or plan for an unbeatable bullpen. Cleveland tried, and they're just one game away from going home.