Guardians’ pick their ‘poison’ with daring strategy against Yankees

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In a critical moment of Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt made a bold and unconventional move against the Yankees, choosing to intentionally walk Juan Soto and load the bases to face Aaron Judge. The decision came in the second inning with the Yankees leading 2-0, as Anthony Rizzo stood on third and Alex Verdugo on second with one out.

Judge had been struggling in the postseason, entering the game with just two hits in 15 at-bats, one RBI, and six strikeouts. Though the Yankees slugger was 0-for-1 after reaching base on an error earlier in the game, his regular season numbers—58 home runs and 144 RBIs—loomed large, making Vogt’s call even more daring.

Anthony Rizzo weighed in on the Guardians’ decision to pitch to Aaron Judge with the bases loaded, acknowledging the intensity of the moment and the challenge of making such a call in a high-stakes playoff game. While Rizzo admitted he might have handled it differently, he understood the logic behind setting up a potential double play. He also praised Stephen Vogt for showing boldness in his first year as a manager, noting that the resulting sacrifice fly still worked in the Yankees’ favor.

“You’re picking your poison there. It’s the playoffs. It’s a big, big spot,” according to the Yankees’ first baseman. “I’m personally not probably doing that, but you set up the double play. Stephen Vogt I’ve respected him so much as a player and what he’s done as a manager is amazing in his first year. It takes a lot of courage to do that move and ultimately we got the sac fly.”

Yankees not surprised over Guardians’ unconventional strategy

Judge, reflecting on the situation, shared that this wasn’t his first experience with such a scenario. He recalled a similar moment against the Chicago White Sox earlier in the season when he delivered a home run. Judge expressed understanding of the decision to walk Juan Soto, recognizing Soto’s recent success and the desire to induce a double play. With a touch of humor, the Yankees slugger even mentioned that if he were in Vogt’s shoes, he might have walked Soto too.

“It happened earlier in the year. Not really a surprise,” the Yankees captain said. “[Soto’s] been swinging the bat well recently and trying to get a double play there, trying to get them out of the inning. I’d walk him too at this point.”

Yankees manager Aaron Boone acknowledged the risk but understood the logic behind the move, noting that in high-pressure playoff moments, managers sometimes take unconventional steps to change the game’s momentum.

“I can’t say I was totally shocked there,” Boone remarked. “You have to pick your poison sometimes. They were up against it a little bit in that situation going to [Cade] Smith that early, down [two], you need something to go really well to keep yourself in the game and sometimes you have to take a shot that’s a bit unconventional.”

Vogt’s strategy also involved a pitching change, pulling starter Tanner Bibee and bringing in reliever Cade Smith, one of Cleveland’s most reliable arms, to handle the high-stakes situation. Judge responded with a sacrifice fly, pushing the Yankees’ lead to 3-0, but Smith struck out Austin Wells to minimize further damage.

After the game, Vogt explained his thought process, saying it was about stopping the Yankees‘ early surge. He emphasized the importance of limiting the inning’s impact and praised Smith for executing the plan effectively. Vogt also pointed out that forcing a ground ball for a potential double play was part of the gamble.

“They were hitting the ball around the ballpark and we needed to stop the game,” the Cleveland manager explained. “In that situation, you want to get the double play ball, find a way to get out of that inning and Cade did a great job of doing that.”

While unconventional, the decision underscored the complex, high-stakes choices managers face in playoff baseball, where risk-taking can be driven by both strategy and the urgency of the moment.

Soto had indeed been a significant offensive force, coming into Game 2 with strong numbers and adding another hit in his first at-bat. The Yankees star’s recent performance made him the more immediate threat at the plate, which likely factored into Vogt’s decision.

Although Judge’s bases-loaded at-bat resulted in just a sacrifice fly, he made a bigger impact later in the game. In the seventh inning, he smashed his first home run of the 2024 postseason, extending the Yankees’ lead in their eventual 6-3 victory.

With a 2-0 series advantage, the Yankees hope Judge’s home run sparks a hot streak as they head to Cleveland, aiming to close out the series and avoid a return trip to New York.

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