Gerrit Cole, Yankees' bats come alive to complete sweep of Guardians
Yankees starting pitcher Gerrit Cole delivers against the Guardians during the sixth inning of an MLB game at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
As bad as Gerrit Cole was in his last outing, that’s how good he was against the Guardians on Sunday.
The Yankees, perhaps buoyed by their ace’s renewed dominance, got contributions up and down their lineup and cruised to a series-sweeping 10-2 victory over Cleveland before 39,050 at Yankee Stadium.
Cole threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, Anthony Rizzo, DJ LeMahieu and Tim Locastro hit two-run home runs, Joey Gallo picked up his first extra-base hit and RBI in the season’s 16th game, and every Yankees player reached base at least once — even Marwin Gonzalez and Locastro, both of whom entered late.
The Yankees (10-6) hadn’t scored more than six runs in a game this season, and that came only with the help of two extra innings and ghost runners on Opening Day. They banged out a season-high 13 hits, including the three home runs and five doubles.
The good feelings all started with the starter. Cole (1-0, 4.00 ERA) allowed four hits, walked one and struck out nine. He threw 92 pitches, 66 for strikes.
“Just a nice day overall,” Cole said. “Really well-played game. Just a good finish to the series. We fought hard and put a cherry on top. Played a complete three games. It was a really good feeling and was just really a good day.”
In his previous outing on Tuesday in Detroit, Cole walked five and was pulled after 1 2/3 innings in a game the Yankees eventually won.
Manager Aaron Boone paired Cole on Sunday with Jose Trevino instead of his personal catcher, Kyle Higashioka. Whether that had anything to do with it, Cole was sharp from the get-go. He opened the game by striking out Myles Straw on a 98-mph fastball. Three batters later, he did exactly the same to Josh Naylor to end the inning.
Overall, Cole struck out five Guardians on fastballs, three on curves and one on a cutter. The cutter in particular was really working for Cole on Sunday, everyone agreed.
“A little bit of everything today,” Boone said. “Really efficient. Just good to see him go out there and set the tone for us.”
Cole had a lead three batters into the bottom of the first. Aaron Judge doubled with one out and Rizzo golfed a low curve from Aaron Civale (0-2, 9.58 ERA) into the rightfield seats for his fifth home run and 11th and 12th RBIs.
“To get a two-ball right out of the chute and then kind of Gerrit takes it from there and we’re able to add on,” Boone said. “Take advantage of some funky plays out there. Everyone kind of having a hand in it was always nice.”
LeMahieu (3-for-4, three RBIs, 11-game hitting streak) doubled home a run in the second on a liner that was misjudged by rightfielder Oscar Mercado (funky play No. 1).
The Yankees scored three in the third to make it 6-0. Aaron Hicks dropped a pop fly into very short center with the bases loaded — the Guardians converged but didn’t catch it — to drive in the first run as Straw got a forceout at second (funky play No. 2).
Gallo, who came into the game batting .136, followed with a bullet double into the rightfield corner to make it 5-0. Isiah Kiner-Falefa hit a sacrifice fly to left to give the Yankees a six-run cushion.
LeMahieu hit a two-run shot to left, his second home run of the season, off lefthander Kirk McCarty in the sixth. McCarty pitched the final three innings in his big-league debut.
Boone removed Cole after a single by Owen Miller with two outs in the seventh. Cole walked off to a standing ovation and touched his cap in response.
One day after Nestor Cortes became the first Yankees starter to get an out in the seventh inning, Cole did him one out better.
Gonzalez singled for his first Yankees hit in the eighth and Locastro — pinch hitting for Judge — followed with a two-run homer to left to make it 10-0.
Former Met Andres Gimenez hit a two-out, two-run triple off Ron Marinaccio in the ninth to spoil the Yankees’ shutout bid.
The Yankees have played a lot of close games this season, so it was nice to have a laugher.
Right?
“It’s nice,” Boone said. “You would think that. But I’m sitting over there going, ‘Who do we have to get up?’ and every out’s like another level of exhale. So yeah, it is nice to have one of those. For sure.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
