The Yankees dominated the Guardians during the regular season, going 5-1 against the team they will face in the AL Division Series. The teams last played on July 3, nearly a full month before the trade deadline and when the Yankees were still on a historic winning pace.
Here are some takeaways from the season series:
- Gerrit Cole started twice against the Guardians and was dominant, posting a 1.42 ERA over 12 ²/₃ innings and striking out 15. That’s in line with his history against Cleveland, which he has held to a .194 batting average in eight career starts.
- Star infielder Jose Ramirez struggled against the Yankees this season, with a slash line of .111/.200/.167 in five games. That’s both the lowest average and the lowest OPS (.367) Ramirez had against any team this season.
- Outfielder Josh Naylor, however, hit .421 with a 1.211 OPS against the Yankees, his best against any opponent. In the five games, Naylor had eight hits and two home runs against the Yankees. He also has a career .882 OPS in The Bronx.
- The Guardians were the only American League team Anthony Rizzo hit .300 against this season. Rizzo also had two home runs and a .983 OPS against Cleveland.
Gerrit Cole smiles during a workout day on Monday ahead of the ALDS. Robert Sabo for the NY POST- Cleveland did a relatively decent job limiting Aaron Judge. In 22 plate appearances, Judge homered twice, but had just a .235 batting average. The Guardians also walked him five times.
- The lone time the Guardians beat the Yankees this season was on the back of a seven-inning, one-hit start by Triston McKenzie on July 3. In McKenzie’s only other career start against the Yankees, he was knocked around, giving up three runs in four innings in April 2021.
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