The New York Yankees struck first in Game 2 of the ALCS on Tuesday and chased Cleveland Guardians ace Tanner Bibee in the second inning.
The Guardians responded with a two-run fifth to cut their deficit to 3-2 and end Gerrit Cole’s night on the mound. But the New York bullpen got the job done down the stretch, and Aaron Judge iced the game with his first home run of the postseason as the Yankees secured a 6-3 win to take a 2-0 lead in the ALCS.
The series now shifts to Cleveland with the Guardians in desperate need of a Game 3 victory.
The Yankees led off the bottom of the first inning with consecutive hits by Gleyber Torres and Juan Soto to put runners on the corners. Then Bibee appeared to have secured the first Yankees out of the game with a pop-up from Aaron Judge. But shortstop Brayan Rocchio watched the routine out bounce off his glove, allowing Torres to score from third for a 1-0 Yankees lead.
The Yankees then led off the second with three straight hits, including an Alex Verdugo RBI double to extend their lead to 2-0. Bibee then got Torres to pop out, setting up the unthinkable: Cleveland intentionally walked Soto to load the bases for Judge.
Yankees force Stephen Vogt into unorthodox decisions
With one out and runners on second and third, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt liked his chances better against Judge than Soto. He intentionally walked Soto and pulled his ace from the game. Bibee was finished after securing just four outs.
Reliever Cade Smith came in to face Judge and did the best he reasonably could in the situation.
Judge hit a deep fly ball for a sacrifice fly to extend New York’s lead to 3-0. Smith got out of the inning with no further damage. But the Guardians suddenly found themselves in an unplanned bullpen game.
Vogt explained his decision to pull Bibee in the second inning in an in-game interview with TBS.
“Tanner’s throwing the ball well, but they’re getting to him,” Vogt said. “They’re getting traffic on. Just felt like it was time go get Cade and stop it. Hopefully we can get some offense going.”
The Guardians eventually got some offense going, but not enough.
Cole started the game with four shutout innings and got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth. The Guardians loaded the bases again in the fifth and plated their first two runs while ending Cole’s night after 4 1/3 innings. But that was all Cleveland’s offense would muster until a solo home run by José Ramírez in the ninth inning.
New York’s bullpen did its job for the final 4 2/3 innings. It got a boost in the seventh from Judge, who hit his first home run of the postseason. Judge’s two-run shot off of Hunter Gaddis extended the Yankees’ lead to 6-2 and all but put the game away.
Bibee allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings. Cole allowed two earned runs on six hits and four walks with four strikeouts. He didn’t have his best stuff on this night and didn’t pitch deep enough to pick up the win. That honor goes to Clay Holmes for his shutout work in two-thirds of an inning.
Judge finished 1-for-3 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored on his home run. Torres was 3-for-5 with two runs scored in the leadoff spot. The Guardians used eight pitchers on the night and are surely thankful for the day off on Wednesday.
If there’s any solace for Cleveland, it’s that Bibee will likely be available for another start sooner than expected after he threw just 39 pitches Tuesday. But the first order of business for the Guardians is winning Game 3, which is scheduled for a 5:08 p.m. ET first pitch on Thursday in Cleveland.
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Yankees win 6-3, take 2-0 ALCS lead
Luke Weaver gave up a solo home run to José Ramírez but secured the last three outs for New York. Yankees win 6-3. The series now shifts to Cleveland with the Yankees holding a 2-0 ALCS lead. Game 3 begins at 5:08 p.m. ET on Thursday.
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No insurance for Yankees in 8th
The Yankees had two baserunners but failed to add an insurance run in the eighth inning. The Guardians are now down to their last three outs in the top of the ninth while facing a 6-2 deficit.
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Guardians down to 3 outs
Brayan Rocchio hit a two-out single, but the Guardians failed to score in the eighth inning. They trail 6-2 and are down to their last three outs.
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Aaron Judge blows game open with first home run of postseason
Aaron Judge has done it. Baseball’s best home-run hitter launched his first homer of the postseason in the bottom of the seventh inning to extend the Yankees’ lead.
With a man on first and the Yankees holding a 4-2 lead, Judge launched a 1-1 Hunter Gaddis fastball over the center-field wall at Yankee Stadium. The blast extended New York’s lead to 6-2 and put the Guardians on the ropes and on the verge of an 0-2 ALCS hole.
The Guardians got out of the inning with no further damage and six outs remaining to get back into the game.
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Lane Thomas walked, but the Guardians failed to produce a run or another baserunner in the top of the seventh. They’re down to their last six outs as the Yankees maintain a 4-2 lead.
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Another base-running mistake costs Yankees
The Yankees added one run but wonder what might have been after base-running errors produced two outs in the sixth. Jazz Chisholm got picked off at second base after leading off the inning with a double. Then, with two outs, Anthony Rizzo got caught in a rundown at third base to end the inning. Yankees lead 4-2 after six innings.
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Yankees extend lead
The Yankees added to their lead and could have done more damage, if not for Jazz Chisholm getting picked off at second base. Anthony Rizzo doubled to right field with Anthony Volpe on first base. Volpe initially slowed down at third but came around to score when Will Brennan bobbled the ball in right field.
Brennan got charged with an error, and the Yankees extended their lead to 4-2 with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning.
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Big mistake by Jazz Chisholm
Jazz Chisholm led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double, but just got picked off at second taking a big lead with two men on and no outs. The Yankees are challenging the tag, but he’s clearly out. Instead of runners on first and second with no outs, the Yankees have a man on first with one out.
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Let’s hear it for Austin Wells
He struggled at the plate in September and has been quiet offensively so far this postseason, but let’s take a moment to appreciate the defender Austin Wells has become behind the dish. This was a guy many scouts projected as a likely future first baseman or corner outfielder when he was a top college prospect at the University of Arizona, yet here he is as a rookie, already one of the better defensive catchers in baseball.
That incredible block of a Clay Holmes slider with the bases loaded to prevent the game-tying run from scoring in the top of the fifth was the latest remarkable example of Wells’ standout glovework.
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Tim Hill pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning for the Yankees, and both bullpens are rolling. Yankees maintain a 3-2 lead.
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Guardians reliever Eli Morgan gets Aaron Judge, Austin Wells and Giancarlo Stanton out on six pitches in a quick bottom of the fifth. We head to the sixth inning with the Yankees holding a 3-2 lead.
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Guardians cut Yankees’ lead to 3-2
The Guardians added a second run on an RBI groundout by Will Brennan. Clay Holmes then walked Andres Gimenez before ending the top of the fifth inning with a bases-loaded strikeout of Austin Hedges. Yankees lead 3-2.
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Guardians load bases again, chase Gerrit Cole
The Guardians are on the board. For the second straight inning, they loaded the bases against Gerrit Cole — this time with no outs in the fifth. Josh Naylor scored Steven Kwan with a sacrifice fly to cut New York’s lead to 3-1. Cole then walked Lane Thomas on a full count to load the bases again, and his night is done.
Clay Holmes will take over on the mound in the fourth with the bases loaded, one out and the Yankees holding a 3-1 lead. Will Brennan is due up.
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Tim Herrin pitches scoreless 4th for Guardians
Cleveland’s bullpen is getting the job done after the Guardians spotted the Yankees a 3-0 lead. Tim Herrin took over for Cade Smith and got out of the fourth inning allowing just a single to Gleyber Torres. The Guardians will look to cut into their 3-0 deficit in the fifth.
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Gerrit Cole grinding through it
Gerrit Cole’s command isn’t especially sharp tonight, but his pure stuff is so good, and he has gotten enough help from over-eager Guardians hitters (see: David Fry’s pinch-hit, first-pitch popout) to complete four scoreless innings.
He is at 70 pitches, though, and it’ll be interesting to see how long Aaron Boone lets him ride and which relievers he turns to after leaning heavily on Clay Holmes and Luke Weaver in Game 1.
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Gerrit Cole gets out of bases-loaded jam
The Guardians loaded the bases with one out in the fourth inning, prompting manager Stephen Vogt to send in pinch hitter David Fry in place of catcher Bo Naylor.
Gerrit Cole induced a first-swing pop-up from Fry for the second out of the inning. He then struck out Brayan Rocchio looking on nine pitches to preserve the 3-0 Yankees lead. The Guardians have now pulled their starting pitcher and catcher from the game.
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Guardians manager Stephen Vogt explains decision to pull Tanner Bibee
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt gave an in-game interview to TBS and explained his decision to pull ace Tanner Bibee after Bibee had pitched just 1 1/3 innings. Vogt replaced Bibee with long reliever Cade Smith in the second inning with the bases loaded, Aaron Judge at the plate and the Yankees holding a 2-0 lead.
“Tanner’s throwing the ball well, but they’re getting to him,” Vogt said. “They’re getting traffic on. Just felt like it was time go get Cade and stop it. Hopefully we can get some offense going.”
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Cade Smith pitches a 1-2-3 third inning, and the Yankees fail to plate a runner for the first time in Game 2. He struck out Anthony Volpe swinging to end the inning. The Yankees hold a 3-0 lead after three.
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Lots of innings left for Guardians to cover
Stephen Vogt’s decision to intentionally walk Juan Soto to load the bases for Aaron Judge with one out was a certainly bold one, but Cade Smith was able to come in and end the frame with only one run allowed — a decent outcome for Cleveland, all things considered.
Still, the decision to pull the plug on starter Tanner Bibee after just four outs will have significant ramifications for the rest of this game. Yes, there’s an off-day tomorrow, but there are a lot of innings left to cover, even for a fresh Guardians bullpen that didn’t deploy any of its top arms in Game 1.
And even if the relievers can keep this game close, a three-run deficit to Gerrit Cole isn’t an especially easy mountain to climb. We can debate the bullpen buttons Vogt is pressing all we want, but if Cleveland can’t score, those choices won’t matter much.
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The Guardians put pressure on Gerrit Cole for the first time in the third inning but didn’t plate a run. A Brayan Rocchio single and Steven Kwan walk put two men on with one out.
Then Cole got Kyle Manzardo and Jose Ramirez out to end the inning unscathed. The Yankees hold a 3-0 lead heading into the bottom of the third inning.
