NEW YORK (AP) — Pitcher Alex Cobb was removed from the Cleveland Guardians‘ American League Championship Series roster after being injured in the first game and was replaced Tuesday by fellow right-hander Ben Lively, the pitcher with the most team wins during the regular season.
Cobb left Monday’s 5-2 loss to the New York Yankees after 2 2/3 innings because of hip stiffness and a back spasm. Cobb is ineligible to pitch for the remainder of the postseason.
Lively, a 32-year-old right-hander, was 13-10 with a 3.81 ERA in 29 starts. He last pitched on September 28 against Houston on the penultimate day of the regular season.
Cobb fell to 0-2 with a 7.94 ERA in the playoffs, making just his fifth start in an injury-limited year. He underwent hip surgery on October 31 and had not yet returned to the mound when Cleveland acquired him from San Francisco at the July 30 trade deadline.
He made his season debut on August 9 and was sidelined after two games with a torn and sore spot in his right index finger. He did not allow an earned run in six innings in his return on September 1 against Pittsburgh, then returned to the disabled list with a blister on his right middle finger that ended his regular season.
