Guardians vs – In a Monday opener that ran 3 hours and 41 minutes, the Guardians and Yankees delivered playoff-style drama before New York won 7-5 in 10 innings at Progressive Field. Cleveland erased an early deficit, produced a key two-run homer from Angel Martínez, and saw
CLEVELAND — The Guardians didn’t just survive the early swing from the Yankees; they absorbed it, then came roaring back in the middle innings like the postseason had already arrived.
New York jumped ahead 3-0. but Cleveland evened the game in the bottom of the third inning with three runs on three hits and one walk. Kyle Manzardo tied it by hitting a 100 mph ground ball off Yankees starter Will Warren that bounced off the mound and slid under the glove of shortstop José Caballero. who ended up with a tough-luck error.
That momentum carried into the later frames. Ryan McMahon put New York back in front with a solo home run in the fifth inning. Angel Martínez answered in the sixth with a two-run homer that gave Cleveland a 5-4 lead. The blast traveled a Statcast-projected 414 feet, the longest home run of Martínez’s 24-year-old career.
The back-and-forth kept coming. The Yankees tied the score at 5-5 in the eighth inning. Hunter Gaddis allowed three hits while recording only one out. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt turned the moment into a test of timing and nerve. calling on closer Cade Smith for a high-wire inning. Smith got the needed outs. with shortstop Brayan Rocchio making the kind of play that makes everyone in the ballpark stop moving.
With momentum on the line, Rocchio turned a 6-3 double play on a ground ball hit by Jazz Chisholm Jr. Rocchio ranged to his left, slid, and picked up the ball on a tough hop. He tapped second base with his glove while still mid-slide. rose to one knee. and fired a one-hopper to Rhys Hoskins. who picked it up on a short hop to retire Chisholm.
“I remembered is Chisholm is one of the fastest runners in the league,” Rocchio said through interpreter Agustin Rivero. “So I just wanted to get rid of it. I knew it wasn’t the best throw, but I just wanted to get rid of it as quickly as possible.”
Smith watched from the mound and couldn’t hide the admiration.
“Plays like that, it’s incredible to watch,” Smith said. “I have no idea how he made that play. Sliding, tagging the bag while he was on his butt and then making that throw is incredible.”
After Patrick Bailey and Rocchio reached base with one out in the eighth to set the stage for a go-ahead rally, Cleveland couldn’t cash in. Travis Bazzana popped out and José Ramírez flied out.
Smith got another clean look in the ninth. He struck out three Yankees batters, sending the game back into extra innings.
Then came the 10th, where the ending shifted fast. Bellinger delivered a two-run single in the top of the 10th, putting New York ahead for good. The Guardians finished the game with a cruel familiarity: Monday’s contest. at 3 hours and 41 minutes. became Cleveland’s longest game since Aug. 20, 2024 — a contest that also came against the Yankees.
Cleveland and New York now sit at 2-2 head-to-head this season, with the Yankees and Guardians having played the full shape of a tight matchup. Cleveland has outscored New York 20-17 in the series so far.
But Monday also showed how close the swing truly was. The Guardians went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. Earlier in the week. they’d already proven they could match New York’s intensity. prevailing in a competitive three-game set in the Bronx. winning 9-4 and 5-4 before dropping the series finale. 2-1.
“This felt like a playoff game a little bit,” Yankees starter Will Warren said.
Cade Smith framed the matchup the way both teams are choosing to see it: as a grind that punishes mistakes.
“Every game we’ve played them has been gritty,” Guardians closer Cade Smith said. “They’re a good team over there. We’re a good team here. We play the game the right way. It’s going to be a war of attrition to go out there and win.”
Cody Bellinger matched that tone from the other dugout.
“That’s a really good team over there,” Yankees outfielder Cody Bellinger said. “These games are always competitive.”
After it all, Stephen Vogt summed up the feeling of a game that delivered everything except the one thing Cleveland wanted.
“That was a fun baseball game. Obviously, you wish you were on the winning side of it, but there was a lot of action in that game, a lot of good plays, a lot of good at-bats,” Vogt said. “But unfortunately, we didn’t come out with the win.”
The standings beneath the drama read like a promise of more nights like this. The Guardians are 37-31, and the Yankees are 39-26 — and after this one, the only surprise left is how long either team can keep refusing to look away.
Guardians Yankees Cade Smith Brayan Rocchio Angel Martinez Will Warren Cody Bellinger Stephen Vogt 10 innings Progressive Field MLB
10 innings for 7-5?? baseball is wild now.
I swear every time the Yankees play Cleveland it turns into a mess. Like one homer and then suddenly everyone’s scrambling lol. Also that 414 feet sounds fake unless the wind was helping.
Manzardo hitting a 100 mph ground ball off the mound and it went under the glove… so basically the Yankees threw it right into their own pocket? I’m not saying it was rigged but that error by Caballero feels like it was the turning point.
This is why I hate “playoff vibes” commentary. It makes it sound like it mattered more than it did. Also Hunter Gaddis only recording one out?? that’s crazy, I thought closers just come in and magically fix it. And Cade Smith pitching a high-wire inning sounds like something you’d see in a highlight reel, not real life.