Aaron Judge gives Yankee Stadium reason to celebrate with his home run in ALCS Game 2 win

NEW YORK — When Aaron Judge is in the building, there's always the possibility of fireworks.

But little about the New York Yankees' performance in more than six innings and a 6-2 win on Tuesday could be described as explosive. Trailing the Cleveland Guardians 4-2 in the seventh inning of ALCS Game 2, the hosts played well enough to win but bad enough to upset the 47,054 spectators packed into the Bronx on a lively evening. to worry.

Ace pitcher Gerrit Cole was duller than a bad documentary as he walked four batters over 4 1/3 grueling innings. The Yankees, considered the worst baserunning team in the league during the regular season, found themselves with two outs on the basepaths. It was a B+ performance at best.

Sure, boxes were checked, goals were achieved – neglecting any win in October feels almost reductionist – but few would have been overjoyed with how the Yankees performed in the first two games of this ALCS. The ultimate goal – for any team and for this team in particular – is a World Series title. But after 16 innings, it somehow didn't feel much closer to that goal. The Narrative: These Yankees were a rickety golden wagon plodding forward and clawing their way to the World Series.

Then, as he often does, Aaron Judge rewrote history.

With a single punch, Judge changed the mood, shifted the energy, and calmed his teammates and the crowds. For the 14th time in his playoff career, The Goliathan bat made a baseball disappear. His two-run shot hung in the air for an extra punch as the crowd hoped, pushed and wanted the ball to go over the wall.

Cleveland midfielder Lane Thomas made an unsuccessful chase. The white spot flew out of sight, giving the Yankees a much more comfortable 6-2 lead. The courtyard exploded and exhaled in the same breath.

“I was excited for it to come out,” Judge said in his postgame chat. “You never know on these windy, chilly nights what the ball will do when you hit the middle here, but the ghosts went out there to Monument Park, that's for sure.”

Before Judge's hit, the Yankees had the lead but were not in control.

That's despite him driving in three early runs against Cleveland starter Tanner Bibee, who was retired after four outs. In the second game, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt intentionally led Juan Soto into a play against Aaron Judge. This was only the third time ever that the hitter ahead of Judge was given a free trip to the first game. The judge followed with a sac fly.

Still, there was a certain feeling of neutrality in the cool autumn air. Maybe it was just Cole having an off night.

“It just has to get better. I have to do better,” the frustrated hurler admitted after the game.

Cleveland worked some long offense against Cole early on, although the Yankees starter finished his first three innings scoreless. He got into big trouble in the fourth, but Cleveland failed to capitalize.

After three runs, the Guardians loaded the bases with two singles and a four-pitch walk. That brought hard-hitting catcher Bo Naylor into the game with just one out. Cole looked rickety; The crowd became more and more restless.

And so Vogt took his shot. The first-year skipper recalled Naylor and opted to use his best pinch-hitting option, right-hander David Fry, in the first innings. Given the situation and Naylor's recent offensive struggles, it was a sensible decision. There are only so many chances against a hurler like Cole. If someone knocks, you have to kick in the door.

But Fry — who hit the go-ahead home run in Cleveland's ALDS Game 4 win — didn't deliver this time. Instead, he threw the first pitch, a 97 mph high-and-tight fastball on the corner, for a disappointing second out. The next batter, Brayan Rocchio, struck out, ending a nine-pitch battle with a borderline call. Cole and the Yankees escaped unscathed.

That aggressive maneuver came back to haunt Cleveland an inning later when relief catcher Austin Hedges, one of the worst statistical hitters of his generation, emerged in a huge situation with the Guardians threatening. In the fifth, Cleveland had thrown Cole out of the game and scored two runs. The bases were loaded with two outs. Hedges, the emotional rock of this Guardians team, struck with a flourish.

From then on the game progressed slowly. The Guardians wobbled a ball in the outfield. The Yankees – specifically Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Rizzo – had two outs. Cleveland did little against New York's formidable bullpen. The night crept into a forgettable footnote in an otherwise memorable October until Judge shook everyone awake.

Before Tuesday, Judge had received some criticism for his somewhat subpar performance in these playoffs. The Yankees' winning streak kept enthusiasm mostly muted — Boone wasn't asked about Judge in his last three pregame media conferences — but with such an important player, the narrative is always lurking. Only more moments like the one Judge conjured up in Game 2 will live up to expectations.

Such is life in the Bronx. The fact that Judge and his cadre of established decision-makers gives the Yankees significant margin for error – one that the Guardians don't have. Cleveland can't sleepwalk through much of a ballgame and expect to win, as the team's efforts in the first two contests demonstrated. Twice in Game 2 the Yankees left the door open, but twice the Guardians crashed right into the door frame.

This means that if the Yankees play this sloppily against their National League challenger, they will surely suffer a defeat. However, Aaron Boone insisted after the game that he was happy with his club's performance given the stakes.

“It’s the offseason,” he said. “It’s all about winning.”

Boone is right; When the weather turns cold, this universe transforms from a process-oriented endeavor to a results-oriented enterprise. It's both encouraging and concerning that the Yankees' offense has completely underperformed so far in October. As the great baseball writer Sam Miller once said, “Every hitter is either hot or due.”

Judge and the Yankees are kind of both.