CLEVELAND — Three relief pitchers that either barely or didn’t figure into the Yankees’ plans when spring training ended helped punch their ticket to the World Series.

Tim Hill, Jake Cousins and Luke Weaver combined for the final 14 outs Saturday as the Yankees defeated the Guardians, 5-2 in 10 innings, in Game 5 of the ALCS.

“We all went out there with some heart,” Hill said, “and got the job done.”

Weaver was the winning pitcher after Juan Soto’s tiebreaking three-run home run in the top of the 10 inning.

He pitched the final two innings.

“It meant the world,” Weaver said. “It’s a long time coming. The role I’m in, what I’m doing, amazing team, this is why I signed up to come back to revitalize and come back to a winning culture. This is the moment I looked forward to, and now I get to cherish.”

As late as June 18, Hill was toiling with a 5.87 ERA for the White Sox, who would become the losingest single-season team in MLB history. He was released the next day, and now his former teammates and coaches are watching him get big outs day after day in playoff games.

And Hill wasn’t alone in getting the last laugh.

Cousins — who didn’t make the 121-loss White Sox roster out of spring training and was subsequently traded to the Yankees — also answered the bell in Game 5. The duo combined for eight big outs.

The side-arming left-hander Hill faced four batters and got two double plays to help the Yankees keep the score tied at 2-2.

Pitching for the third day in a row and for the fifth time in five games this series because top relievers Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle were likely unavailable, Hill finished the sixth and started the seventh.

“Getting hot was a little bit tough [the fifth straight game],” Hill said, “but I was like, ‘This is what we f—ing came for.’ You have to battle through it and be more mentally strong than the other guys.”

Hill rewarded manager Aaron Boone’s faith by retiring Steven Kwan — who earlier extended his Cleveland franchise record by reaching base in a 16th straight postseason game — on an unassisted double play by Oswaldo Cabrera.

“I’m glad I was able to show them I was indeed what they wanted,” Hill said.

Cousins, who has been used far more sparingly than Hill during the playoffs, struck out four of the five batters he faced as he finished out the seventh and worked around a two-out walk in the eighth. He pumped his fists and let out a big howl as he walked off the mound.

Weaver entered the season as a potential long man after making an unlikely strong impression down the stretch last season. He kept getting bigger and bigger roles in 2024 until he replaced Holmes as the closer in September.

After pitching in the Yankees’ first seven playoff games, Weaver was bypassed for the save in Game 4. The day of rest allowed him to go two innings to close out the series.