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The New York Yankees opened their American League Championship Series against the Cleveland Guardians with a 5-2 victory on Monday. The Yankees' pitching staff kept the Guardians scoreless for the first five innings, allowing their offense to build a lead that secured the win.
On Tuesday, both teams began Game 2 of the ALCS, with the Yankees taking an early lead in the first inning. Aaron Judge reached on a fielding error, allowing Gleyber Torres to score.
In the second inning, the Bronx Bombers added to their lead with Alex Verdugo’s RBI double off Guardians pitcher Tanner Bibee. Shortly after, Bibee intentionally walked Juan Soto, loading the bases.
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Following the walk to Soto, the Guardians replaced Bibee with Cade Smith to face Aaron Judge, who was next at bat. ESPN reporter Jeff Passan shared news of the move on X, which garnered several reactions.
“THATS SO PATHETIC,” a fan said.
“Smart move,” another fan said.
“This game and this series is over,” another fan wrote.
Many fans justified the Guardians' decision to face Judge by intentionally walking Soto.
“Good thing it’s the postseason,” a comment reads.
“That is the right decision if you are the guardians. Yes, it's a hard decision to make , but I rather face Judge than Soto in that situation,” another comment reads.
“May not work out but it's the right move,” someone wrote.
Tuesday marked the third time in Aaron Judge’s career that the batter before him was intentionally walked. The previous instance was on August 14, when the Chicago White Sox intentionally walked Juan Soto to face Judge, who then hit his 300th career home run.
The first instance was in August 2016, when Judge was in his first month in the majors.
Yankees' Aaron Judge out on a sacrifice fly after the Guardians intentionally walked Juan Soto
In the second inning, Aaron Judge was out on a sacrifice fly off Cade Smith, but it allowed Anthony Rizzo to score, making it 3-0. The Guardians countered in the fifth inning, scoring their first run on Josh Naylor’s sacrifice fly.
Will Brennan grounded into a force out, allowing Kyle Manzardo to score and make it 3-2. The Yankees extended their lead in the sixth inning with Anthony Rizzo’s double, which allowed Anthony Volpe to score after a fielding error by Guardians right fielder Will Brennan.
In the seventh inning, Aaron Judge bounced back with a 414-foot homer off Guardians pitcher Hunter Gaddis, bringing in two runs for his team. Judge's first home run of this year's postseason helped the Yankees to a 6-3 win, taking a 2-0 lead in the ALCS.
