The New York Yankees (12-4) couldn't pull off the sweep against the Cleveland Guardians (10-5) on Sunday following a 8-7 loss at Progressive Field.
While the Yankees were going for a clean sweep after taking both games of the doubleheader Saturday, that wouldn't be in the plans for the Bronx Bombers.
Getting the start for the Yankees on the mound was left Nestor Cortes. It wasn't the smoothest outing for Cortes, who gave up two home runs and failed to get out of the fifth inning.
Yankees captain Aaron Judge got the offense on the board with a booming three-run home run in the top of the third inning.
The Guardians took a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth on a solo home run from former Yankee Estevan Florial. The Yankees responded in the top of the ninth with a clutch two-out RBI double from Anthony Volpe.
In extra innings, Anthony Rizzo came through in the top of the 10th with a two-RBI single to give the Yankees a 7-5 lead. However, the Guardians put together three runs in the bottom of the 10th inning thanks to some fielding blunders by the Yankees infield.
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Yankees' sweep spoiled in extra innings
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E | |
| NYY | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 2 |
| CLE | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 0 |
Top Performers of the Game
- SS Anthony Volpe: What more can be said? Volpe was 3-for-4 with a walk, a run scored and a clutch double to tie the game. He did bobble a double-play transfer that helped the Guardians continue their inning in extras.
- OF Aaron Judge: The Captain only had one hit but his home run was magnificent, and he added a walk while striking out twice. Baby steps.
- RP Victor Gonzalez: In 1.1 innings of work, Gonzalez didn't allow a run, walk or hit. He struck out one batter and 11 of his 13 pitches were strikes.
Nestor Cortes' shaky start
Cortes didn't have his best stuff Sunday. There were times when he looked to be on, but his command wasn't as sharp as it was in his previous outing when he went 8.0 shutout innings against the Miami Marlins. Even when debuting a funky new pitch delivery, Cortes allowed a two-run home run to Jose Ramirez in the bottom of the third and a solo home run to Gabriel Arias in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Here's the final line for Cortes:
| IP | H | R (ER) | BB | K | HR | Pitches- Strikes | Whiffs | |
| Nestor Cortes | 4.0 | 5 | 4 (4) | 1 | 6 | 2 | 94 - 63 | 15 |
Quick Hits
- Anthony Rizzo committed two errors in the first two innings, matching his total of four errors from the 2023 season.
- Jose Trevino had a solid day at the plate, hitting his first home run of the season while adding another hit.
- Juan Soto collected two hits and a walk while scoring twice.
- Aaron Judge's home run in the third inning traveled 450 feet with an exit velocity of 114.0 miles per hour. It was his 260th career home run, tying Derek Jeter for ninth all-time among Yankees players.
- Anthony Volpe had three at-bats that included hard-hit balls.
- This was the Yankees' first loss in a one-run game this season.
- Gleyber Torres had a crucial blunder in the bottom of the 10th inning on a ground ball that allowed the tying run to score. He wasn't given an error, but it was a play he should have made.
What’s Next?
The Yankees are on the road over the next three days for a trip against the Toronto Blue Jays. First pitch Monday night is scheduled for 7:07 p.m. ET with Luis Gil likely getting the ball.
