When he came to the plate in the bottom of the third inning to start the game, Juan Soto, who was hitting well against Guardians starter Alex Cobb, was already one for one with a single.
In order to get on base first, Cobb threw a two-seam fastball too high in the zone, and Soto was all over it. He hit a solo home run to left center field amid the whirling winds in the Bronx. It was Soto’s first postseason home run as a Yankee.
However, New York scored other goals throughout the frame as well.
After two outs separated Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Anthony Volpe, rookie manager Stephen Vogt substituted lefty Joey Cantillo.
Judge scored on a wild pitch, but Cantillo was unable to control his own equipment, and Bo Naylor was unable to manage it behind the plate. Stanton then made it 3-0 with another wild pitch after walking Anthony Rizzo.
Carlos Rodon, meanwhile, was a workhorse through six innings in his second postseason appearance, setting the tone for New York on the mound.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift attended the Yankees’ playoff game in New York.
Despite having a strong start against the Kansas City Royals in Game 1, Rodon’s debut appearance with the Yankees didn’t go as expected.
