The Yankees are closing in on their first World Series appearance since 2009, and Aaron Judge has returned to form at the perfect time.
New York’s captain hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning Tuesday night, ensuring he and his teammates headed to Cleveland for Game 3 with a 2-0 lead in their back pockets.
The best-of-seven American League Championship Series is firmly in the control of the Yankees, and the team has won the first two games at this stage of the playoffs for the first time since 2009 against the Los Angeles Angels. That year they won the World Series.
In the bustling Bronx, there was no Taylor Swift or Travis Kelce to entertain the crowd, but Judge’s home run and three RBIs kept eyes trained on the field.
Judge hit his first postseason home run since Game 5 of the 2022 American League Division Series, sending a 1-1 fastball from Hunter Gaddis into the net at Monument Park beyond the center field fence to hit the Yankees a 6-2 lead.
Aaron Judge hits a two-run homer to drive the Bronx crazy and help the Yankees to victory
The Yankees captain runs the bases after putting the team up 6-2 over the Guardians
Outfielders Alex Verdugo, Judge and Juan Soto celebrate after sealing the Game 2 victory
It was just his third hit of the postseason, but the 14th home run of his career in the playoffs.
In the first inning, Gleyber Torres scored New York’s first run when Cleveland shortstop Brayan Rocchio dropped Judge’s fly ball.
Judge also hit a sacrifice fly in the second to make the score 3-0 after the Guardians opted to intentionally walk Juan Soto to load the bases.
Alex Verdugo added an RBI double between Judge’s first two plate appearances. New York’s Anthony Rizzo hit an RBI double in the sixth.
Judge’s explosion came on a difficult night for New York ace Gerrit Cole, who allowed two runs and six hits in a laborious 4 1/3 inning outing. Cole struck out four and walked four in his shortest postseason outing since lasting more than two innings in the 2021 wild-card game in Boston.
Judge and Gleyber Torres celebrate in the Yankees dugout after their home run in the seventh inning
Jazz Chisholm (right) waits to learn his fate after being thrown out at second base.
Lane Thomas and Will Brennan can’t stop Judge’s deep shot that lands in Monument Park.
Cole stranded two in the third inning by retiring José Ramírez for the final out and left the bases loaded in the fourth by getting a called third strike with his curveball to Rocchio.
Cleveland closed within 3-1 on Josh Naylor’s sacrifice fly in the fifth, and Cole was replaced by Clay Holmes after walking Lane Thomas to load the bases with one out. Holmes allowed a run-scoring ground ball to Will Brennan, walked again but then struck out Austin Hedges to end the inning.
Holmes (2-0) was among four New York relievers who combined to pitch 4 2/3 innings. Luke Weaver gave up a one-out home run to Ramirez in the ninth before closing out the win.
Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee (0-1) allowed three runs (two earned) and five hits in 1 1/3 innings. He fanned two and walked one. The Guardians used seven relievers the rest of the way.
