The New York Yankees got a go-ahead home run from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the eighth inning and leaned on five scoreless innings from their bullpen to defeat the Cleveland Guardians 3-2 on Tuesday night at Progressive Field. The victory improved New York to 40-26 and secured a series win over Cleveland (37-32).
Chisholm delivered the decisive swing with the game tied in the eighth. After getting a favorable break on a two-strike pitch that clipped the zone but was ruled a ball, the second baseman stayed alive and launched a solo homer to right field off Tim Herrin, giving the Yankees a 3-2 lead. The blast was his fourth home run in his last nine games.
Earlier, Spencer Jones provided another memorable moment. The rookie slugger crushed the first home run of his major league career in the second inning, a towering 443-foot, two-run shot to straightaway center that put New York ahead 2-0. Jones finished 2-for-4 and accounted for the Yankees’ only runs before Chisholm’s late heroics.
Gerrit Cole battled through four innings in his fourth start of the season, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out four. The right-hander worked around several jams and threw 83 pitches before turning the game over to the bullpen.
BILLS GAME WEEK: Buffalo heads to Los Angeles for Monday Night Football matchup with Rams (preview) From there, New York’s relievers carried the load. Paul Blackburn, Tim Hill, Camilo Doval, Jake Bird, and Fernando Cruz combined for five scoreless innings, stranding multiple runners as Cleveland finished 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 13 men on base. Cruz recorded the final five outs, striking out three for the save.
The Yankees will look to complete a three-game sweep on Wednesday at Progressive Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. Carlos Rodón (2.88 ERA) is slated to start for New York, while Cleveland is expected to counter with left-hander Parker Messick (2.40 ERA).
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to kyle@fingerlakes1.com.
