Aaron Judge finally did big damage this postseason, helping the Yankees to a 6-3 victory over the Guardians on Tuesday night with his first home run this October. And the vibes off his seventh-inning blast in Game 2 of the AL Championship will thrum a lot longer than the sloppy play that ruled most of the evening at Yankee Stadium.
Gerrit Cole was meh and the Yankees ran into two awful outs on the basepaths, ruining what could’ve been a big sixth inning. But Judge’s two-run homer, which padded a two-run lead, is doubtless what most of the 47,054 in attendance will remember.
Five innings earlier, the Guardians had intentionally walked Juan Soto to pitch to Judge with the bases loaded. Judge hit a sac fly, but maybe that was bouncing around his memory banks.
The victory certainly wasn’t art – Cleveland was sloppy, too – but it was a big step forward toward a potential return to the World Series. The Yankees now lead the best-of-seven ALCS, two games to none, with the series shifting to Cleveland for Game 3 on Thursday.
Here are the takeaways…
-The Yankee bullpen was, again, a highlight, with four relievers combining to allow one run over 4.2 innings. Clay Holmes, the winning pitcher, threw a scoreless two-thirds, Tim Hill got five outs, Tommy Kahnle got four outs and Luke Weaver pitched the ninth and allowed a solo homer to José Ramírez, who is 1-for-8 in the series. Overall, the Yankee bullpen has allowed three runs (two earned) in 23.1 innings this postseason, a 0.77 ERA.
-Not a great night for Cole, who only got 13 outs. In 4.1 innings, he allowed six hits and two runs. He struck out four and walked four and threw 89 pitches, 53 for strikes. He pitched out of trouble several times early, but it’s perhaps fair to wonder if all that stress piled up on him in the fifth, when he only got one out and the Guardians trimmed a 3-0 Yankee lead to 3-2. Cole gave up singles to Steven Kwan and Kyle Manzardo to start the inning and then walked Ramírez, which loaded the bases. Josh Naylor hit a sac fly and then Cole walked Lane Thomas, which ended Cole’s evening. Holmes came in and allowed one inherited runner to score on a fielder’s choice and walked Andrés Giménez on four pitches, but he also struck out Austin Hedges to end the inning.
–Gleyber Torres, who had three hits and scored twice, continued his first-inning postseason flurry by doubling to left to start the bottom of the first. Torres is 3-for-4 with two doubles and two walks so far in the first inning in this postseason. It’s something he’s done all year – during the regular season, Torres batted .351 with a .912 OPS in the first inning. Soto followed with a single and then the Yankees caught a break – Judge hit a high pop fly that shortstop Brayan Rocchio settled under. Easy play. But Rocchio dropped the ball… on the same day he was named a finalist for the AL Gold Glove at shortstop. Torres raced home for a gift 1-0 lead and the Yanks seemed primed for a big inning. But Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee struck out Austin Wells, got help from a sliding catch in foul territory by right fielder Will Brennan and then struck out Jazz Chisholm Jr.
-The Yanks got going again in the next inning, though. Alex Verdugo ripped an RBI double into the left-field corner to drive in Anthony Volpe, who had started the second inning with a single and went to third on Anthony Rizzo’s line single to center, giving the Yanks a 2-0 lead. One out later, the Guardians took a risk, courting a “narrative” by intentionally walking Soto to pitch to Judge with the bases loaded and one out. Before facing Judge, Cleveland removed Bibee and brought in one of their top bullpen arms, Cade Smith. It was a tasty moment that turned into a productive at-bat for Judge, who hit a sac fly to push the Yanks lead to 3-0. Obviously, more damage would’ve been more interesting, but perhaps Guardians manager Stephen Vogt deserves credit for the move. Judge deserves plaudits for getting home a run, too.
-The Yanks added an unearned insurance run in the sixth inning, but it could’ve been so much more if not for some brutal baserunning. The Yankees made two outs on the bases – Chisholm was picked off second base after leading off with a double and Rizzo was later caught in a rundown between second and third after he strayed too far from second after a pitch. In between that bungling, Rizzo lashed a liner past first and Volpe, who had walked, scored from first base after a bobble by right fielder Brennan that went for an error.
Game MVP: Aaron Judge
Judge, obviously. He smoked a 96 mph fastball at the top of the strike zone over the center field wall, 414 feet away. The exit velocity was clocked at 111.3 mph, according to MLB’s Statcast. The victim? Reliever Hunter Gaddis. The homer was the 14th of Judge’s postseason career, snapping a tie with Giancarlo Stanton for fifth on the Yankees’ all-time list.
Highlights
What’s next
After an off day on Wednesday, the ALCS shifts to Cleveland where the Yankees will look to take a commanding 3-0 series lead. First pitch is scheduled for 5:08 p.m.
Clarke Schmidt will take the mound for the Yankees while the Guardians have yet to announce a starter.
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