It was less a calculated Cleveland threat and more a series of events that were not breaking right for Max Fried.
After two quick first-inning outs, José Ramírez flared a broken-bat looper in front of third baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. for an infield single.
Fried tried to pick him off, but first baseman Ben Rice couldn’t handle the dart that moved Ramírez to second.
Ramírez more cleanly stole third, and Fried could not finish off David Fry, who took first base when a full-count curveball from Fried went awry.
Fry stole second base, and Fried found himself in a drawn-out, eight-pitch duel with Carlos Santana. For the second start in a row, and really only the second time this season, it seemed like Fried might not have complete command.
But like the lefty’s gorgeous curveball, which looks as if it slips out of his hand before it begins its plunge, the night abruptly reversed.
Fried, arguably the top pitcher in the American League, got out of that first-inning trouble by getting Santana to pop up. This moment was the first and only real opportunity for the Guardians against Fried as the Yankees secured a 4-0 victory, clinching the series in front of 41,665 fans in The Bronx on Thursday.
The Yankees (38-23) have won eight of their past nine series and matched a high-water mark in reaching 15 games over .500.
After a snoozer of a shutout loss Wednesday, the Yankees bounced back.
And after Fried endured a rough day at Dodger Stadium on Friday, he, too, showed resilience.
The Yankees’ 2025 ace got through that 28-pitch first inning tired but not trailing.
After that, the Guardians’ chances evaporated. Fried went on to retire 11 consecutive batters before issuing a walk to Bo Naylor with one out in the fifth inning, only to then induce a ground ball from Jhonkensy Noel, leading to a double play.
Fried’s quick escape in the fifth allowed him to eat up one more inning, throwing a clean sixth that finished with his season-high 103rd pitch.
Fried’s excellence was supported by three RBIs from Cody Bellinger (including a two-run home run in the fourth) and quality escape work from Tim Hill.
In what was then a two-run game, Mark Leiter Jr. encountered trouble in the seventh, punctuated by a carbon copy of one of the more horrific memories in recent Yankees memory: With runners on first and second, Gabriel Arias grounded into the shortstop hole, and Anthony Volpe fielded and swung to third baseman Chisholm — and just like in the fifth inning of Game 5 of the World Series, it didn’t work out.
This time Volpe threw to the outside of the bag, but Chisholm could not hold on to a throw that was a bit wide.
That loaded the bases with one out and the tying run on second, but Hill entered and navigated around the danger.
Naylor struck out and Noel flew out on a night the Guardians went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.
The Yankees created far more chances and finished with 10 hits, though they did not reach base until Slade Cecconi’s 42nd pitch — an Aaron Judge double down the right-field line in the fourth.
Cecconi’s 43rd pitch became their second hit, Bellinger drilling his ninth homer (and seventh at the Stadium) into the right-field seats.
The Yankees tacked on in the seventh when singles from Bellinger and Chisholm (who is 5-for-11 since being activated from the injured list) scored two more.
