NEW YORK — Aaron Judge launched a two-run homer into Monument Park, marking his first home run of this postseason, as the New York Yankees triumphed over the Cleveland Guardians 6-3 on Tuesday night. With this victory, the Yankees secured a 2-0 lead in the American League Championship Series (ALCS).
Judge, who had previously only one RBI in the playoffs, contributed with a sacrifice fly during a two-run second inning, putting his team ahead 3-0. Later, with New York clinging to a 4-2 advantage in the seventh, the likely AL MVP sent a towering fastball from Hunter Gaddis 414 feet to center field, marking his 14th career home run in postseason play.
The game showcased two pitching aces who didn’t perform at their best. Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee experienced the shortest outing of his professional career, managing only four outs, while Gerrit Cole of New York struggled, walking four batters within just 4 and 1/3 innings before being pulled from the game.
The Yankees’ bullpen, featuring Clay Holmes, Tim Hill, and Tommy Kahnle, stepped up, pitching a combined 3 and 2/3 scoreless innings. In the ninth, José Ramírez managed to hit a home run off Luke Weaver, accounting for just the second earned run New York’s bullpen has given up over 23 and 1/3 innings in six postseason games.
After a scheduled day off, the teams will meet again for Game 3 on Thursday in Cleveland. This is the first time since 2009 that New York holds a 2-0 lead in the ALCS, having faced off against the Los Angeles Angels in that series.
In the game’s highlights, Gleyber Torres reached base for the fifth time in the postseason, achieving three hits in total. Anthony Rizzo also contributed with two hits, raising his series batting average to 3 for 7 since returning from two fractured fingers that kept him out of the Division Series.
Cleveland faced challenges on defense, with rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio and right fielder Will Brennan making crucial errors. Rocchio mishandled a popup from Judge, allowing Torres to score. Later, with the score narrowed to 3-2, Brennan mishandled a bouncing ball off the wall while attempting a barehand pickup of Rizzo’s double, allowing Anthony Volpe to score from first base.
Steven Kwan set a new postseason record for Cleveland, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. Additionally, Alex Verdugo delivered an opposite-field RBI double in the two-run second, which inadvertently struck the shoulder of left field umpire Vic Carapazza before rolling down the line.
Cleveland narrowed the gap to 3-2 in the fifth inning when Josh Naylor hit a sacrifice fly, followed by a forceout by Will Brennan after Holmes took the mound with the bases loaded. However, the Guardians struggled with runners in scoring position, finishing 0 for 7 and leaving 11 men stranded on base.
Cole navigated through some tight situations, escaping trouble in the third inning with two on and one out, and later managing to get out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the fourth. He struck out a pinch-hitter and closed the inning with a critical called third strike against Rocchio, which took nine pitches to resolve. Holmes later retired Austin Hedges with a sinker, again leaving the bases loaded in the fifth inning.
In the health department, the Guardians announced that RHP Alex Cobb would be removed from the roster due to a lower back strain suffered in the opener, with RHP Ben Lively stepping in as his replacement.
Looking ahead, Yankees RHP Clarke Schmidt will take the mound on Thursday in Cleveland. In his last outing during the Division Series, he allowed two runs and four hits over 4 and 2/3 innings while New York ultimately pulled off a narrow 3-2 win. This season, Schmidt faced the Guardians once, delivering five scoreless innings before allowing two runs—one of which was unearned—in the sixth, leading to another 3-2 Yankees victory.