Andres Gimenez’s walk-off sacrifice fly capped a three-run 10th inning and sent the Cleveland Guardians to an 8-7 win over the visiting New York Yankees on Sunday.
After Anthony Rizzo put New York up 7-5 with a two-run single in the top of the inning off Tyler Beede (1-0), the Yankees’ Caleb Ferguson (0-2) couldn’t hold the lead in the bottom of the frame.
Cleveland placement runner Bo Naylor scored on a fielder’s choice and brother Josh came home with the tying run when second baseman Gleyber Torres bobbled a grounder and threw late to the plate.
Then with runners on first and third, Gimenez lined a fly ball to right field that was plenty long to score David Fry and keep the Guardians from being swept in the three-game set.
Cleveland trailed 3-0 after Aaron Judge’s three-run homer in the third but got back into the game on Jose Ramirez’s two-run homer in the bottom of that frame.
A solo shot by Gabriel Arias highlighted a two-run fifth as Cleveland tied the game 4-4.
Cleveland went ahead for the first time in the series, 5-4, when former Yankee Esteven Florial clubbed a pinch-hit, solo homer into the right field seats off with two outs in the eighth.
However, Anthony Volpe’s third hit of the day, a two-out double to the right-field wall off Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase, scored Oswaldo Cabrera to tie the game at 5-5 in the ninth.
Starter Logan Allen allowed four runs on six hits, including two homers, in 5 2/3 innings for the Guardians. Meanwhile, New York starter Nestor Cortes was charged with four runs and exited before recording an out in the fifth.
Jose Trevino had two hits, including his first home run of the season for the Yankees, who dropped to 12-4. Juan Soto and Giancarlo Stanton added two hits apiece for New York.
Arias, Ramirez and Josh Naylor each recorded two hits for Cleveland, which is 2-3 since winning five in a row and improved to 10-5.
–Field Level Media
