Did Yankees’ plane get stuck in Cleveland following ALDS Game 4?

Was the New York Yankees’ flight back home to the Bronx for Game 5 really as rocky as Clay Holmes and Aaron Boone’s relationship after Game 3? Or is there more to one viral plane photo than meets the eye?

Thanks to Rob Manfred’s ALDS schedule that included plenty of room for makeup games before the Yankees and Guardians needed one, and absolutely no margin for error after the rains came, the two teams will now play four games in four days with two back-and-forth plane trips in between.

Gerrit Cole and Wandy Peralta came up clutch in Game 4 after the Yankees’ bullpen strategy spit the bit in Game 3, which sent both teams back to New York late Sunday night … or did it?

According to some “boots on the ground,” there are differing opinions about whether the Yankees got out Sunday, or whether they spent a long night stuck on the tarmac while Nick Swisher made EDM mouth sounds next to a tired Matt Blake.

Early on Monday, a photo began circulating that was reportedly the team plane re-boarding after mechanical issues sent the Bombers back to a Cleveland hotel on Sunday night, where they surely slept well. According to the flight records, though, both teams got out and landed right after Game 4. So what gives?

Did Yankees plane take off Sunday night, or is it stuck in Cleveland?

According to several internet sleuths — as well as Guardians beat writer Zack Meisel of The Athletic — the plane pictured isn’t entirely unrelated, but is actually the friends and family plane.

That means wives, kids and hangers-on might be sleep deprived for Game 5, but the Yankees and Guardians probably avoided the headache.

Though … why would the Athletic beat writer garner his information here from a man with a chain?! Why was George’s dad talking to a man in a cape? One may never know.

Surprise, surprise, but even if the planes landed safely, these two teams aren’t done with potential weather interruptions after Game 2 was postponed earlier in the week.

According to the New York City weather center, another cold front is hitting the area on Monday night, and could bring about bands of rain between 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM EST. Nobody believes the game will get bagged (which would lead to Shane Bieber starting Monday), but most seem to believe there’ll be a delay involved.

If the game starts and stops, neither team will be losing a starter who was expected to provide much length. But still! All this manufactured plane drama, just for Mother Nature to rear her ugly head again and torture all her f***ing sons for a rerun of Game 2. Doesn’t seem fair.