The Guardians are no slouch: they were 9-5 entering this game against the Yankees. In the first two games, Cleveland struggled to break through against New York’s pitching staff. That, combined with New York’s stellar hitting, led to two blowout losses. In the final game of the series, though, Cleveland’s bats came alive. New York was able to go toe-to-toe with the team, but ultimately failed to get a hit when it truly mattered.

After the game, Aaron Judge talked about the brutal loss. The Yankees star gave credit to the Guardians for being able to come up with big at-bats, per ESPN. Unfortunately, the team’s luck just ran out at the end.

“Any way you lose is a tough one,” Judge said. “Guys were fighting until the end. They came up with some big at-bats. We came up big at-bats. We just weren’t able to pull this one out in the end.”

A spirited comeback in the last few innings sent the game into extra innings. The Yankees first held the lead after scoring one run in the top of the tenth. However, timely hits from Josh Naylor and Andres Gimenez (who scored the walk-off hit) allowed Cleveland to steal a victory from the jaws of defeat.

Yankees’ incredible season

Despite the brutal loss, the Yankees are still having a magical season. The loss sends them to 12-4 for the year, good for best in the American League by a significant margin. Fans at the Bronx have been eating extremely good thanks to some incredible performances from across their roster.

Anthony Volpe is starting to break out as the elite shortstop that Yankees fans have dreamed of. He’s taken over the leadoff spot for New York this season and is thriving in the role. Just behind him in the batting order are Juan Soto and Judge. Soto, after a slow start last season, is having an excellent campaign. He’s been well-loved by New York fans due to his charisma… and of course, his bat.

The rest of the lineup has worked extremely well, too. Overall, it just feels like this Yankees team is miles ahead of their performance last season. Things are a bit rough on the pitching side due to Gerrit Cole’s injury, but Carlos Rodon, Nestor Cortes, and Marcus Stroman have been holding down the fort quite well while the star rehabs from the elbow ailment.

That being said, Yankees fans know all too well that it’s not how you start the regular season that matters. New York had a similar hot start a few years ago, but they fizzled out and were eventually bounced out before reaching the World Series. This team has long had dreams of winning that elusive pennant. Perhaps the arrival of Soto is the catalyst to achieve that goal.