Aaron Judge homered, leading the New York Yankees to a 6-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians, securing a commanding 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series. This marked Judge’s first home run of the postseason, as he sent a two-run shot soaring into Monument Park.
Entering the game with just one run batted in during the playoffs, Judge contributed significantly by hitting a sacrifice fly in the second inning, helping the Yankees jump to a 3-0 lead. In the seventh inning, with the Yankees ahead 4-2, the likely AL MVP connected on a fastball from Hunter Gaddis, launching it 414 feet to center field for his 14th career postseason home run.
The game featured two aces who struggled on the mound. Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee had a rough outing, only managing four outs, marking the shortest start of his professional career. Meanwhile, Gerrit Cole faced challenges of his own, issuing four walks and lasting just 4 1/3 innings.
Relievers Clay Holmes, Tim Hill, and Tommy Kahnle were instrumental in the win, combining for 3 2/3 scoreless innings. José Ramírez did manage to hit a ninth-inning home run off Luke Weaver, but it was only the second earned run allowed by the Yankees’ bullpen in 23 1/3 innings across six postseason games.
With a day off before Game 3 on Thursday in Cleveland, the Yankees are in a strong position, leading the ALCS 2-0 for the first time since 2009 against the Los Angeles Angels.
New York’s Gleyber Torres had a standout performance, reaching base for the fifth time in the playoffs and recording three hits. Anthony Rizzo also contributed with two hits, improving to 3-for-7 in two games since returning from an injury that sidelined him during the Division Series.
The Guardians faced difficulties on defense, with rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio and right fielder Will Brennan committing costly errors. Rocchio dropped Judge’s popup in the first inning, allowing Torres to score, while Brennan’s misplay of Rizzo’s double in the sixth gave the Yankees an additional run.
Steven Kwan continued to shine for Cleveland, extending his franchise-record postseason hitting streak to 12 games.
Alex Verdugo contributed with an opposite-field RBI double in the second inning that took an unusual bounce off the shoulder of left field umpire Vic Carapazza, rolling down the line.
Cleveland managed to close the gap to 3-2 in the fifth inning, thanks to a sacrifice fly from Josh Naylor and a groundout from Brennan that brought in another run. However, the Guardians struggled to capitalize on opportunities, going 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position and leaving 11 runners stranded.
Cole demonstrated resilience, escaping a two-on, one-out situation in the third inning and a bases-loaded jam in the fourth, striking out pinch-hitter David Fry and Rocchio in crucial moments.
Holmes also proved effective, striking out Austin Hedges with the bases loaded in the fifth inning to maintain the lead.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Guardians: Right-handed pitcher Alex Cobb was removed from the roster due to a lower back strain sustained in the opener, replaced by Ben Lively.
UP NEXT
The Yankees will send right-hander Clarke Schmidt to the mound on Thursday in Cleveland. Schmidt previously allowed two runs and four hits over 4 2/3 innings in Division Series Game 3, where New York ultimately triumphed 3-2. Earlier this season, he faced the Guardians once, pitching five scoreless innings before yielding two runs—one unearned—in the sixth inning of a 3-2 victory.
