Summary:
- On Tuesday, the New York Yankees recorded a dramatic 6–3 win over the Cleveland Guardians.
- The Yankees secured a 2–0 lead in the ALCS.
- Aaron Judge, the most likely MVP and AL holder of the single-season home run record, scored his first home run of the postseason.
The New York Yankees gave fans plenty of baseball drama on Tuesday night in their 6–3 win over the Cleveland Guardians, securing a 2–0 lead in the American League Championship Series (ALCS).
In the second inning, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt made one of the boldest decisions of the season: with one out and runners on second and third, he intentionally walked Juan Soto to face Aaron Judge, the likely Most Valuable Player and AL single-season home run record holder.
They were hitting the ball around the ballpark, and we needed to stop the game. You want to try to get a double-play ball, get two outs with one pitch, and get out of the inning.
The Yankees’ dugout was stunned at the decision. “There’s no way he’s doing this right now!” first baseman Ben Rice exclaimed, while shortstop Anthony Volpe waved his arms in disbelief.
Third baseman Jazz Chisholm was equally surprised.
I understand Soto’s having a great postseason, but you can’t count out the cap
Judge, however, wasn’t offended.
He’s been swinging the bat well, and they’re trying to get a double play. I’d probably walk him too
His teammates, though, weren’t convinced. “He doesn’t take too kind to those kinds of things”, said left fielder Alex Verdugo. “I think he was like, O.K., I’m gonna show you who I am”, added Oswaldo Cabrera.
Judge had been struggling, going 2-for-14 in the ALDS and hitless in Game 1 of the ALCS, but his teammates believed this moment reignited him.
“I think they woke up Judge”, said second baseman Gleyber Torres.
The Yankees are 5-1 in the postseason but haven’t faced elite competition yet. The Royals, with their inflated record, and the Guardians, who struggle offensively, don’t compare to teams like the Dodgers or Mets.
On Tuesday, the Yankees made base-running mistakes and walked Cleveland’s No. 7 hitter twice on four pitches, showing they’ll need cleaner play moving forward.
Despite Aaron Boone’s insistence that Aaron Judge was just a swing away from breaking out, Judge had yet to deliver, until Vogt intentionally walked Soto to face him.
“It takes a lot of courage to do that move”, said Anthony Rizzo.
Judge lofted a sacrifice fly in the second inning but later capitalized in the seventh. With Gleyber Torres on base, Judge crushed a 95-mph fastball for his first home run of the postseason, igniting the Yankees’ dugout.
“When Aaron does stuff, it’s extra special because he’s such a special human being”, Rizzo said.
Jazz Chisholm, though, shook his head, laughed, and said that should have happened earlier.
Reliever Tim Hill received a standing ovation from fans following the five-up, five-down performance that took down the sixth inning and part of the seventh.
Aaron Judge called it a “tough” and “humbling game”, adding the entire team will need to put in the effort to get where they want to go.
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