The Cleveland Guardians won a closely contested series opener against the New York Yankees on Tuesday, snapping a three-game losing streak and reaching 73 wins in the process.
The final score, 9-5, doesn’t do justice on how close the game was: the two squads were tied at three from the fourth inning until the beginning of the 12th, when Cleveland was able to break loose with six runs.
The Yanks scored twice in the bottom of the 12th, but their rally fell short.
It wasn’t always pretty for both teams.
In fact, Cleveland left a whopping 20 men on base.
The Yanks also played an ugly game and had shocking baserunning blunders that didn’t help their case.
Failed opportunities almost ruined the Guards’ night, too, but they were patient and competitive all along and pulled off an impressive win to extend their lead over the Minnesota Twins, who lost in San Diego, to 3.5 games.
Fighting their way to a victory.
Despite 20 runners being left on base, the @CleGuardians worked their way to a 9-5 series-opening victory over the Yankees in New York.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/lcf18yadtv
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) August 21, 2024
The Guardians found themselves down in the score 2-0 in the bottom of the first frame, when Juan Soto and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back home runs against starter Matthew Boyd.
The left-hander, however, settled down after that and gave the Guards an incredible performance given the rival, the venue and the circumstances.
He pitched 5.1 innings and conceded three runs.
He wasn’t at his best, with a 4/2 BB/K ratio and two homers allowed, but he battled and kept his team in the game.
In the 12th inning, with the game tied at three, the struggling Lane Thomas gave his team the lead with a double.
Jose Ramirez also hit an RBI single, which preceded David Fry’s bases-clearing triple that put the game 8-3.
A Jhonkensy Noel infield single plated Fry for the ninth run.
Judge hit a two-run double in the bottom of the 12th, but that was all the damage the Yankees could inflict.
The contest included an elite relief appearance by Emmanuel Clase, who completed two scoreless innings and shut down the heart of the Yankees lineup.
Rookie Joey Cantillo will take the ball for Cleveland on Wednesday, while Nestor Cortes will pitch for the home team.
NEXT: Guardians Announce Rookie Pitcher As Wednesday's Starter
