The New York Yankees defeated the Cleveland Guardians 6-3 in Game 2 of the AL Championship Series, taking a 2-0 lead in the series. Aaron Judge hit his first home run of the postseason, a two-run shot into Monument Park, to lead the Yankees to victory. This was Judge’s 14th career postseason home run.
Both starting pitchers had off nights, with Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee getting chased early after just four outs, and the Yankees’ Gerrit Cole walking four batters in 4 1/3 innings. The Yankees bullpen held strong, with Clay Holmes, Tim Hill, and Tommy Kahnle combining for 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Guardians made several errors that cost them runs, including a dropped popup by shortstop Brayan Rocchio and a bobble in the outfield by Will Brennan. Cleveland was unable to capitalize with runners in scoring position, going 0 for 7 in those situations and leaving 11 runners on base.
The Yankees will look to extend their lead in Game 3 on Thursday in Cleveland, with Clarke Schmidt set to start for New York. The Guardians will be without RHP Alex Cobb, who was removed from the roster due to a lower back strain. With their strong bullpen and timely hitting, the Yankees are in a good position to advance to the World Series.
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