With the threat of a sweep hanging over their heads, the Yankees handed the ball to Carlos Rodón on Wednesday in the series finale in Cleveland—and he delivered exactly what they needed. The lefty turned in his best outing of the season, firing seven strong innings without allowing an earned run. Rodón struck out eight, walked just two, and navigated trouble with veteran poise, showing why the Yankees brought him in to be a rotation anchor.
This was also Rodón’s second straight dominant start. Over the weekend in Tampa, he was just as sharp—going six innings, allowing only two hits and no runs, and striking out nine in a win against the Rays. Over his last 13 innings, he’s given up just six baserunners and hasn’t allowed an earned run, racking up 17 strikeouts in the process.
The Guardians only managed one run off him on Wednesday, and that was unearned in the third inning after a defensive miscue. Otherwise, he was in full control from start to finish, keeping hitters off balance and pounding the zone in a performance that felt like a tone-setter—not just for this series, but for Rodón’s season as a whole.
“Really good presence with the fastball, was able to add and subtract with it,” Manager Aaron Boone said on Rodon’s outing. “Really efficient for seven innings.”
The Dón in 8K.
Presented by @Delta pic.twitter.com/KQFCC2Qn9l
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 23, 2025
Judge Stays Red-Hot, Leads the Charge
Aaron Judge wasted no time setting the tone, ripping an RBI triple on a sharp fly to left—that would have been a home run in 28 of 30 Major League ballparks—in the top of the first. It was the Yankees’ first hit of the game—and it immediately put them ahead. Judge continues to be the heartbeat of this offense, extending his on-base streak to 21 straight games. He now has hits in 21 of the team’s 25 games and has reached base in all but one.
Judge triples to get us on the board 👊 pic.twitter.com/1ViqsbQOc6
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) April 23, 2025
Offensively, the Captain leads the league in just about everything: batting average (.415), on-base percentage (.513), slugging (.734), OPS (1.247), and hits (39). He’s also tied for the MLB lead in RBIs (26) with Pete Alonso. The MVP-level start isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.
Goldschmidt, Domínguez, Rice, and Wells Provide Support
While Judge continues to carry the torch, the Yankees’ lineup around him came through in a big way in Game 3. Paul Goldschmidt had three hits—including an RBI double and a run-scoring single—helping to break things open in the middle innings. Jasson Domínguez added two hits of his own, and Austin Wells tacked on a key RBI double to help stretch the lead.
Ben Rice quietly had a productive day at the plate as well, going 1-for-3 with two walks. He scored twice, contributing to two of the Yankees’ five runs and setting the table at the top of the order. Between Rice’s patience, Goldschmidt’s power, and Domínguez’s spark, the offense showed signs of the depth and balance it’s capable of when clicking.
The Yankees finished the day with 11 hits and worked eight walks. It was far from a perfect offensive performance with 14 total strikeouts on the day, but it was more than enough to back up Rodón’s gem.
Bullpen Locks It Down
Fernando Cruz and Luke Weaver combined to close out the eighth and ninth innings, keeping the Guardians off the board and sealing a much-needed 5–1 win. Both relievers have been quietly dominant to start the season and continued that trend in Game 3.
Cruz has proven to be one of the Yankees’ most effective offseason additions. He lowered his ERA to 2.08 with another scoreless inning, and notably, he’s only allowed runs in one of his 11 outings—way back on April 4. Otherwise, he’s thrown 11.1 consecutive scoreless innings, giving the Yankees a reliable arm late in games.
Weaver, meanwhile, is making history in pinstripes. In his first 11 games of the season, he’s faced 47 batters and hasn’t given up a single run—earned or otherwise. That’s the most batters any pitcher in Yankees history has ever faced in his first 11 appearances of a season without allowing a run. His consistency has been a huge asset for a bullpen that’s had its ups and downs early on.
With those two locking down the final six outs, the Yankees never let Cleveland mount a late threat—an ideal close to a statement win on getaway day.
Avoiding the Sweep and Building Momentum
This win didn’t just prevent a sweep—it helped reset the tone for the Yankees before they return home to face Toronto after a day off. As I wrote earlier this week, the Yankees needed a stopper in Game 3. Rodón filled that role, and the bats did enough damage early to give the team breathing room.
Now, with Judge playing at an MVP clip and Rodón looking more and more like a frontline starter again, the Yankees head back to the Bronx with some positive momentum—and the belief that they can punch back when it matters.
