There’s Always Wednesday: Guardians vs. Yankees Recap 4/11 Game 13

Gerrit Cole provided the Cleveland Guardians with a moment of excitement in the first inning, but it quickly turned to misery as he pitched seven strong innings and Franchy Cordero’s three-run homer helped the New York Yankees secure an 11-2 victory on Tuesday night.

Despite allowing two runs and three hits in the first inning, Cole (3-0) kept his cool and improved his record to 5-0 against Cleveland over the last two seasons. He also defeated the Guardians twice in last year’s AL Division Series.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone praised Cole’s “in command, in control outing” and ability to bounce back after a rocky start.

Including the postseason, Cole boasts a 10-2 record in 13 career starts against Cleveland, allowing five hits and striking out three batters in Tuesday’s game.

Cordero, who joined the Yankees in March, hit a three-run homer in the third inning off Hunter Gaddis (0-1) to give the Yankees a five-run lead. Anthony Rizzo contributed two RBI, while Aaron Judge extended his on-base streak to 44 games, the third longest in Yankees history since 1941.

After falling behind 2-1, the Yankees scored five runs in the third inning to take control of the game. Cordero’s third homer tied him with Robin Ventura (2002) for the most RBI in franchise history after six games.

The Guardians managed just two runs off Cole in the playoffs and were unable to score again after the first inning. Despite a strong start, they struggled to hit Cole’s breaking ball and only had one runner reach second base after the first inning.

Guardians manager Terry Francona acknowledged Cole’s ability to command multiple pitches, stating, “When you have to respect three, four different pitches, that’s part of what makes him so good.”