The New York Yankees (12-3) defeated the Cleveland Guardians (9-5) in Game 2 of a doubleheader Saturday, 8-2, at Progressive Field, completing the sweep after a Game 1 victory.
The Yankees jumped on Guardians starter Triston McKenzie with two early runs in the first inning, but an Alex Verdugo double play limited the damage with bases loaded.
Shortstop Anthony Volpe continued his torrid start with a crucial two-out single in the top of the fourth inning. Superstar Juan Soto followed that up with a three-run home run on a 3-0 fastball to give the Yankees a 6-0 lead. They never looked back after that.
Yankees right-hander Cody Poteet dazzled in his spot start Saturday night, giving the Bronx Bombers far more than they hoped for.
For more Yankees coverage, check out Kevin Hickey's work on Sporting News.
Yankees vs Guardians box score recap Game 2
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
| NYY | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 0 |
| CLE | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 1 |
Top Performers of the Game
- OF Juan Soto: The superstar right fielder mashed a three-run homer to extend the Yankees' early lead. He also added two runs and two more walks.
- SS Anthony Volpe: The second-year breakout is fully on. Volpe went 2-for-4 from the leadoff spot with two runs scored, one RBI and a walk.
- SP Cody Poteet: The Yankees couldn't have asked for much more than what Poteet gave them in a spot-start scenario. More on his outing below.
Cody Poteet's dazzling start
It could not have gone much better for Poteet with his spot start. The Guardians were swinging early and often against Poteet, likely trying to get some runs across. That played to his advantage as he filled up the strike zone and avoided barrels. He gave the Yankees four shutout innings to begin the game before allowing his first run in the fifth. Still, he settled down to allow no walks, one run and six hits.
Here's Poteet's final line:
| IP | H | R (ER) | BB | K | HR | Pitches- Strikes | Whiffs | |
| Cody Poteet | 6.0 | 6 | 1 (1) | 0 | 4 | 1 | 77 - 50 | 4 |
Quick Hits
- The Yankees have now won all five of their series to open the season.
- Anthony Volpe and Gleyber Torres found easy stolen bases on Triston McKenzie. They both wound up scoring after swiping bags.
- Austin Wells' slow start continues. His average dropped to .115 on the season after another hitless game.
- Anthony Rizzo raised his batting average to .281 with another multi-hit game.
- The Yankees are now 8-1 on the road to open the season.
- Oswaldo Cabrera added another big hit with an RBI double in the fifth inning.
- Ron Marinaccio, making his 2024 debut, gave up a solo home run to Josh Naylor in the top of the ninth inning.
- Dennis Santana was solid in his 2.0 innings of work. He didn't allow a run or a hit while walking one and striking out one.
What’s Next?
The Yankees and Guardians will wrap up the weekend series Sunday with a 1:40 p.m. ET first pitch. Left-hander Nestor Cortes will get the ball for the Yankees against Guardians left-hander Logan Allen.
