CLEVELAND — The New York Yankees completed a three-game sweep over the Cleveland Guardians with an 8-4 victory Wednesday afternoon at Progressive Field.
Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. has recently turned his season around after a slow start to 2026. He scored twice and knocked in three runs on Wednesday afternoon, showing his importance in the continued absence of the reigning American League Most Valuable Player, Aaron Judge.
It took Angel Martínez just two pitches to take Carlos Rodón deep, putting the Guardians up 1-0 in the bottom of the first.
However, the Yankees quickly took back the lead after adding three runs in the top of the second inning. The Guardians pair of rookies, Parker Messick and Travis Bazzana, have had an impressive start to their first full season in the big leagues, and are both firmly in contention to win American League Rookie of the Year.
Messick took to the mound, posting a 2.40 ERA, sixth best in the MLB. The 25-year-old experienced trouble early when Yankees right fielder, José Caballero, hit a soft grounder back to Messick. The young lefty had trouble corralling the ground ball and spiked the throw to first base in the dirt, advancing centerfielder Trent Grisham to third. Two runs would score off the bat of Chisholm Jr. with his second triple of the year.
Chisholm Jr. would come into score due to a fielding error by the 2024 first overall pick, Travis Bazzana, giving the Yankees a 3-1 lead.
Don’t let that error fool you. Bazzana has been excellent in his rookie season, posting a .261 batting average, 10 stolen bases and a .354 on-base percentage. Bazzana continued his hot start in the majors by reaching base in his first two at-bats, while notching his 10th stolen base of the year in the fourth inning. As an organization that thrives on developing talent, the Cleveland Guardians have rising superstars in Bazzana and Messick, regardless of any growing pains.
A catcher not typically known for hitting, Austin Hedges, was able to score Bazzana with a one-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning. Brayan Rocchio was able to lift a deep fly ball to left field and brought in Stuart Fairchild from third, knotting the game back up at three.
In the top of the sixth, Trent Grisham drove a pitch to the right field wall and made his way to third base for the Yankees' second triple of the game. One batter later, José Caballero hit a deep sacrifice fly into left field that allowed Grisham to score and the Yankees to take back the lead. It would also signal the end of starter Parker Messick’s day at Progressive Field. Messick would end the game allowing five runs, the most in his young career.
Messick's final line: 5.2 IP, 5 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 K
The Guardians looked to the bullpen for an answer and relied on Matt Festa to get out of the sixth inning, needing just one out. With speedy Chisholm Jr. on base, shortstop Anthony Volpe hit a line drive double into left field to score Chisholm Jr. from first base, and put the Yankees back up two.
Festa would continue the struggles as just two batters later, 38-year-old veteran Paul Goldschmidt singled into right field, scoring Volpe and making the game 6-3 Yankees in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The day would go from bad to worse for Cleveland as the Yankees would add two more runs off the bats of Caballero and Chisholm Jr. in the top of the seventh. The Yankees never looked back as the game ended 8-4.
In Judge’s absence, the Yankees have continued to build off their hot start. The Yankees, as it currently stands, will move up into first place in the American League East after Wednesday’s win. Getting Judge back will mean more home runs and another threat for the Bronx Bombers on a day-to-day basis.
The struggles continue for the Cleveland Guardians as they fall to 37-33, and have now lost four of their last five games. They still sit atop the American League Central, but are tied with the emerging Chicago White Sox. The Guardians will take a day's break and be back at home for a weekend series against division rivals, the Detroit Tigers, on Friday.
For the Yankees, they improve to 41-26 and have now won four of their last five games after completing the sweep in Cleveland. Rodón was credited with his second win of the season for the pinstripes.
Rodón: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 K
The Yankees stay on the road and head into Canada to take on division opponents, the Toronto Blue Jays.
