The New York Yankees (38-23) got back on track Thursday night in the Bronx, riding Max Fried’s brilliance and Cody Bellinger’s bat to a 4-0 win over the Cleveland Guardians (33-28) and a series victory.
Fried bounced back after his first loss of the season, tossing six dominant innings of one-hit ball while striking out seven. He allowed only a first-inning single to José Ramírez and lowered his ERA to 1.78, the lowest by a Yankees starter through 13 games since 1984.
The offense started quiet but came to life in the fourth. Aaron Judge blooped a double for New York’s first hit of the night, and Bellinger followed with a two-run home run, his ninth of the season. The bats went quiet again until the seventh when Bellinger added a clutch RBI single with two outs to extend the lead. Jazz Chisholm Jr. tacked on another with a run-scoring single.
The bullpen held strong after a tense seventh, when an Anthony Volpe throwing error loaded the bases. Tim Hill escaped the jam and added a clean eighth before Jonathan Loáisiga sealed the win in the ninth.
Oswald Peraza had a pair of hits and three hard-hit balls, while Chisholm Jr. posted his second three-hit game of the season. Jasson Domínguez went 0-for-4 in his return from a left thumb contusion.
The Yankees open a weekend series against the Boston Red Sox on Friday night in the Bronx. Will Warren faces off against Walker Buehler at 7:05 p.m.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].