No debate: Judge, Yankees knock off Indians in opener
CLEVELAND » On a night for debates, Aaron Judge, Gerrit Cole and the New York Yankees made quite an opening statement.
Shane Bieber had no rebuttal.
Judge smashed a tonesetting, two-run homer on Bieber’s fourth pitch, Cole struck out 13 and the New York Yankees opened the AL playoffs with a resounding 12-3 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday.
Just a few miles from where President Donald Trump and campaign opponent Joe Biden made their cases to the nation in their presidential debate, the Yankees made it look easy in teeing off on Bieber, who was baseball’s best pitcher during the condensed regular season but looked average in his playoff debut.
Judge and the rest of New York’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 2/3 innings — his shortest stint since June 9 last season against the Yankees.
“I just felt like the swing decisions were really good,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “That’s the key with Bieber. If you’re going to have a chance against him, you’ve got to make quality swing decisions and I felt like the guys did that all night long.”
The best- of-three series continuesWednesday night with Carlos Carrasco trying to save Cleveland’s season against Masahiro Tanaka.
When Bieber’s final pitch clanged loudly off the empty left-field 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.
“This was a really good way to start out a series against a really good team, against a great pitcher, and have Gerrit throw the ball the way he did,” Boone said.
Naylor went 4 for 4 and became the first player with three extra-base hits in his postseason debut.
Cole’s strikeouts were the second-most by a New York pitcher in postseason history. Roger Clemens fanned 15 in Game 4 of the 2000 ALCS. Cole also became the first pitcher to strike out at least 12 in three postseason games.
Brett Gardner added a two-run homer in the seventh for the Yankees and
Giancarlo Stanton hit a solo shot in the ninth.
New York never even needed to warm up its top relievers, keeping Aroldis Chapman, Zack Britton and Adam Ottavino fresh for Wednesday night. ASTROS4, TWINS1 » Jose Altuve drew a bases-loaded walk to force in the goahead run in the ninth inning after a two- out error by shortstop Jorge Polanco, and Houston beat Minnesota to open their AL playoff series and stretch the Twins’ all-time record postseason losing streak to 17 games.
Manager Dusty Baker’s Astros became the first team in major league history to win a game after reaching the postseason with a losing record. Game 2 in the best- of-three wildcard matchup is Wednesday at Target Field.
Michael Brantley tacked on a two-run single in the ninth after Sergio Romo issued a full- count walk to the 5-foot- 6 Altuve, the 2017 AL MVP who had a quiet season at the plate. RAYS 3, BLUE JAYS 1 » Blake Snell took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and topseeded Tampa Bay opened the playoffs with a win over Toronto.
Manuel Margot hit a two-run homer and Randy Arozarena tripled and scored on a wild pitch to give Snell and a dominant Rays bullpen all the offensive support needed to begin the best- of-three matchup.