NEW YORK — Clarke Schmidt was stunned. The New York Yankees pitcher turned to shortstop Anthony Volpe and exclaimed, “What is going on? This is insane.”
In Game 2 of the American League Championship Series, Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt made a bold move by intentionally walking Juan Soto to load the bases for Aaron Judge in the second inning with one out. At that moment, the Yankees held a 2-0 lead, and the Guardians chose to present Judge — who had smashed a league-leading 58 home runs during the regular season — with a golden opportunity to potentially bury them with a single swing.