Aaron Judge launched a ball into Monument Park while Gleyber Torres tagged up at first base.
“That was disrespect out of Gleyber, man,” Judge said with a smile. “He’s seen me hit 58 of those things this year.”
Judge’s first home run of the postseason was a two-run shot in the seventh inning that helped the New York Yankees defeat the Cleveland Guardians 6-3 on Tuesday night, giving New York a 2-0 lead in the AL Championship Series.
“I’m a little disappointed in Gleyber for not knowing Judge’s pop there,” Anthony Rizzo said. “We were ribbing him a lot about that. It’s a big swing for Judgey.”
Judge, who had only one RBI in the playoffs before this game, also hit a sacrifice fly during a two-run second inning that put the Yankees ahead 3-0 after Cleveland chose to intentionally walk Juan Soto to load the bases.
“You want to try to get a double-play ball,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “You want to try to get two outs with one pitch.” Judge understood the strategy, saying, “I would probably walk him, too.”
With the Yankees leading 4-2 in the seventh, Judge hit a fastball from Hunter Gaddis 414 feet to center for his 14th career postseason home run.
“It was a big swing to kind of give us that cushion,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “The bench was pretty pumped when that happened.” Judge also joked about Torres’ decision to tag up.
“You never know on these windy, chilly nights what that ball is going to do when you hit it to center here,” he said. “But the ghosts were pulling out there to Monument Park, that’s for sure.”
In a game featuring two top pitchers having off nights, Cleveland’s Tanner Bibee lasted only four outs, marking the shortest start of his professional career. Gerrit Cole was taken out after issuing four walks in 4 1/3 innings.
“Just got to do better, got to do better,” said the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner. Relievers Clay Holmes, Tim Hill, and Tommy Kahnle combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings.
José Ramírez hit a home run in the ninth inning off Luke Weaver, marking just the second earned run New York’s bullpen has allowed in 23 1/3 innings over six postseason games.
After a day off, Game 3 will be on Thursday in Cleveland. The Yankees have a 2-0 lead in the ALCS for the first time since 2009 against the Los Angeles Angels.
Torres got on base for the fifth time in the playoffs and had three hits. Rizzo also had two hits and is 3 for 7 in the two games since he returned from a couple of fractured fingers that made him miss the Division Series.
Rookie shortstop Brayan Rocchio and right fielder Will Brennan made errors that allowed runs for the Guardians. Rocchio dropped Judge’s pop-up in the first inning, which let Torres score.
“No excuse, I need to make that play,” Rocchio said through an interpreter. “I thought I was under the ball and last minute I was leaning towards second base.”
After Cleveland made the score 3-2, Brennan mishandled the ball when he tried to pick up Rizzo’s double in the sixth inning, which bounced off the low wall down the right-field line. Anthony Volpe, who was on first base, ran home.
Steven Kwan extended his record postseason hitting streak for Cleveland to 12 games.
Alex Verdugo hit a double to the opposite field that brought in a run in the two-run second inning; the ball hit left field umpire Vic Carapazza’s shoulder and went down the line.
Cole got out of trouble in the third inning with two on and one out, and then managed to escape a bases-loaded situation in the fourth. Pinch-hitter David Fry fouled out, and Rocchio struck out looking at a knuckle curveball after a nine-pitch at-bat.
Cleveland made it 3-2 in the fifth when Josh Naylor hit a sacrifice fly. After Clay Holmes came in with the bases loaded, Will Brennan hit into a forceout that scored a run. Holmes then struck out Austin Hedges with a low sinker to leave the bases loaded.
“They kind of made a little push there and we were able to stop it,” Holmes said.
Cleveland went 0 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. The Guardians are 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position in the series.
“We’re one swing of the bat away from taking the lead in that game,” Vogt said. “We’re one swing of the bat from being right back in it. That is who we are. We don’t quit. We just need to keep being us.”
