Yankees win
Judge homers, Cole cruises in opener
Judge, Cole lead Yankees to 12-3 win over Indians in AL playoff opener. Sports,
CLEVELAND — Aaron Judge smashed a tone-setting, two-run homer on Shane Bieber’s fourth pitch, Gerrit Cole struck out 13 and the New York Yankees opened the ALplayoffs with a resounding 12-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.
Just a few miles from where the Trump-Biden presidential debate took place, the Yankees made quite a statement in teeing off on Bieber, who was baseball’s best pitcher in the condensed regular season but looked average in his playoff debut.
Judge and the rest of NewYork’s hitters hadn’t faced Bieber in 2020, but they were well prepared and took some meaty cuts against the 25-year-old ace, who gave up season highs in runs (seven) and hits (nine) over 4 ⅔ innings — his shortest stint since June 9 last season against the Yankees.
The best-of-three series continues Wednesday night with Carlos Carrasco trying to save Cleveland’s season against Masahiro Tanaka.
When Bieber’s final pitch clanged loudly off the empty leftfield bleachers on a two-run homer by Gleyber Torres in the fifth, the Yankees were up 7-2 and had delivered a boisterous postseason message to the rest of baseball: Don’t forget us.
Bieber then handed the ball to acting Indians manager Sandy Alomar Jr. and walked slowly toward Cleveland’s dugout, seemingly carrying all of the city’s hopes for a long run with him. The Indians have lost seven straight playoff games.
Staked to an early lead on Judge’s homer, Cole showed why the Yanks shelled out $324 million for him in the offseason. The right-hander gave up two runs — including Josh Naylor’s homer in the fourth — and six hits in seven innings.
Naylor went 4 for 4 and became the first player with three extrabase hits in his postseason debut.
Cole’s strikeouts were the second-most by a NewYorkpitcher in postseason history. Roger Clemens fanned 15 in Game 4 of the 2000 ALCS.