Game Recap: Yankees 2 - Guardians 3

Guardians best the Yankees in classic Guards Ball™ fashion.

The Cleveland Guardians earn another series win with a sixth inning offensive boom to best the ALCS foes.

Tanner Bibee kept the damage low against the goliath lineup of the New York Yankees. The only real blemish on Bibee’s stat line was given up on the first pitch of the game. Bibee threw a 95.8 mph four-seamer low and center to the lead off hitter Ben Rice. Rice squared up on the pitch and hit it 377 ft into the bleachers. Bibee’s only other sin for the bulk of his work was keeping high pitch counts for seemingly every at bat. Bibee pitched the Yankees very conservatively, trying to paint every pitch he threw. This was a successful and smart strategy against the Bronx Bombers, but when the ump has a nebulous strike zone, it made for some long at bats.

Bibee wasn’t deterred though and Vogt brought him back out to pitch the sixth inning. Bibee gave up a lead off double to Aaron Judge. A one out single to Paul Goldschmidt advanced Judge to third base. Tanner allowed his second run of the game on a sac fly to Jazz Chisholm Jr. that scored Judge. He finished out the rest of the inning unscathed. Bibee earned a quality start, throwing 106 pitches across six inning. He allowed two earned runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out five.

The Guardians offense was relatively spotty with the usual suspects getting on base. Steven Kwan had the only hit going into the sixth and Daniel Schneemann the only walk. Every other base runner came through force outs or fielding errors.

Until the bottom of the sixth.

At the top of the order, starting pitcher Will Warren faced the line up a third time through. Steven Kwan and Nolan Jones hit back to back singles forcing Yankees manager Aaron Boone to turn to Mark Leiter Jr. The relief pitcher struck out José but a passed ball during Manzardo’s at bat allowed for a double steal. Kwan scored from second and Nolan Jones took third base.

Kyle Manzardo followed the double steal up with a game tying double to center to score NoJo. With two outs, Bo Naylor drew a four pitch walk though, admittedly, ball four should have been called a strike. Angel Martínez brought the go ahead run across the plate with a single to shortshop. Schneemann hit a single, legging it out to first when Volpe’s throw to first pulled the first baseman off the bag. Boone had to go to another pitcher to finish the inning, bringing out Tim Hill to retire the side.

Tim Herrin came on in relief in the top of the seventh for the Guardians and threw a nearly perfect inning. A fielding error by Brayan Rocchio allowed a Oswaldo Cabrera to reach with two outs. Herrin was able to get Ben Rice out via ground out, striking out two in the process of retiring the side.

Hunter Gaddis pitched the eighth inning after a scoreless bottom of the seventh from the offense. In a one run game, Aaron Judge hit a lead off single to left. Judge then got his third stolen base of the season before Gaddis struck out Goldschmidt for the second out of the inning. Gaddis had a battle with Jazz Chisholm Jr. who worked a 3-2 count on six pitches. Unfortunately Chisholm was awarded first base after a pitch clock violation from Gaddis. Gaddis didn’t let it shake him and punched out Volpe to retire the side.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Guardians went quiet again keeping it a one run game for Cade Smith. Cade came in for his second night of closing work against the big bad Yankees. It took Cade four pitches to retire the bottom of the Yankees line up and add another game to the Guardians win column.

NYY 2 - CLE 3

Box Score

The Cleveland Guardians win and look for another series sweep tomorrow. First pitch is at 1:10 PM EDT at Progressive Field. Luis Ortiz and Carlos Rodón are the starting pitchers for tomorrow’s matchup.